The Reason
by LucretiaDecoy
Summary: Sequel to I Want You Bad and I Walk Alone. AU Chojin Crown. Every Chojin wants to win the prestigious championship, but for three of the competitors, there is more than just a championship belt at stake, and losing is not an option. COMPLETE
1. Prologue

**A/N:** I'm baaack! Here it is, in all its glory. The sequel. This one will be considerably longer than _I Want You Bad_, estimating about 36 chapters and 80 – 100,000 words approximately; thus far I have the first 8 chapters written in draft, and that's well over 20,000 words already… 

Rating will be going up to R, mainly because of the violence factor – we all know how vicious Kevin Mask turns during the Chojin Crown tournament – but also for bad language, and some terrible, trouserial, toilet-based British jokes.

In my screwed up timeline, it's been 3 years since Kid Muscle beat Mars, and at some point during those 3 years, the Gruesome Threesome Saga and the Poison Six Pack Saga have happened (the Six Pack one wasn't related to the Chojin Crown as it was in the series).

I would like to also point out that I have only seen 4 episodes of Ultimate Muscle beyond the Gen X Saga (the one when D-Struction fights Photo Pat, the one when Kid fights Hollywood Bowl, the one when Kevin Mask defeats Turbinski, and the one when Kevin nearly removes Kid's Mask in the final match of the Chojin Crown – all of which are episodes from the Chojin Crown Saga, hence why I am missing out the Gruesome Threesome and Poison Six Pack Sagas) so I am relying on AKIA episode summaries for the accuracy of this story. Obviously, my account of the Chojin Crown will not be identical to the one in the show, mainly because I've chopped and changed some of the entrants and matches, so if there are any major, obvious errors, let's just put it down to the fact that this is Lucretia Decoy's universe of UM, and not Yudetamago's…

Otherwise, this will be continuing on the story as told in _I Want You Bad_ and _I Walk Alone_.

Read. Enjoy. Review.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Ultimate Muscle or any of the characters contained in this fanfic. That's why it's a fanfic!

**Recap:** In _I Walk Alone_ we saw that Mars was lost. He was neither DMP nor Muscle League. He admitted he was in love with Kiki, but that he was too scared to stay with her. And Dik Dik had a lot to answer for, the sneaky, cheeky, sly wee devil that he is!

* * *

**Prologue**

Kid tried to remain calm, tried to keep his face straight, tried to ignore the fact that his heart was racing, that there were goosepimples spreading over his body, that there was sweat along his brow beneath the tight-fitting mask he wore. He tried to remember that this was the most important moment of his life, and, as much as he wanted to, he could not just grin like a complete goof and blow the whole affair.

Kid drew in a deep breath as Broken Junior appeared at his side, his arm linked through Roxanne's. Broken and Roxanne turned to face each other, and Broken lifted back Roxanne's veil, then leaned forwards to kiss her on the cheek, before stepping back to join the others in the pews.

Kid allowed himself for the first time that day to look fully at Roxanne. His mouth quivered as the urge to grin became overbearing. He had never imagined she could look so beautiful. Her long, soft, treacle-coloured hair was swept up on top of her head, held in place by her veil. Her cheeks were pink, and her big brown eyes were glistening with what looked like restrained tears of joy. Her dress was simple yet stunning, cut from perfectly white silk.

Roxanne smiled a little, her hands clutching tightly onto her small bouquet of yellow roses. Kid returned her smile, having to bite his tongue hard to stop himself from grinning and gushing over her. Roxanne, perhaps sensing his nervousness, turned to the robed man standing at the head of the altar, ready to marry them. Kid copied her action, facing Meat.

Meat glanced between the two smiling and nodding his head at each of them in turn.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony," Meat said, his rough voice sounding strangely sweet to Kid's ears as he spoke the words Kid had waited so long to hear. "If anyone here has any reason why these two should not be wed, may you speak now, or forever hold your piece."

There was a brief pause, but no-one spoke.

"Alright then," Meat continued. "Do you, Kid Muscle, take Roxanne to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, through sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, so help you God?"

"I do," Kid answered breathlessly.

Kid turned to his best man, Terry Kenyon, who handed him Roxanne's wedding ring. Kid glanced up at Terry, who winked at him reassuringly. Kid nodded his head, and then turned to slip the ring onto Roxanne's finger, a rush of joy filling his chest as he saw the gold band rest on her finger.

"And you, Roxanne Nikaidou, do you take Kid to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, through sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, so help you God?" Meat asked.

"I do," Roxanne answered, flashing her teeth at Kid as she briefly broke into a joy-filled grin of delight.

Terry handed Roxanne Kid's ring, and she gently pushed it onto Kid's finger, closing her hands over his once she had finished.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," Meat declared. "You may kiss the bride."

Kid could no longer contain himself. He grinned like a complete dork, no longer caring how stupid he may have looked. As he locked eyes with Roxanne, he saw her grin was almost as gormless as his, easing away what little remaining concerns he had. He closed his eyes, moving closer to Roxanne, preparing himself for a sweet kiss to seal their vows.

Through his mask, Kid's lips made contact with something; but it did not feel like Roxanne's mouth. Kid opened his eyes, freezing in terror at what he saw.

Kid screamed, leaping back to confirm his suspicions. Where Roxanne had once stood, now stood Wally Tusket, in Roxanne's dress, and wearing pink lipstick and long, fake eyelashes.

"C'mon, Kid, I won't be your wife until ya kiss me properly!" Wally said.

"No!" Kid wailed, grabbing at his head in despair.

"Kid!" Meat yelled, grabbing Kid's elbow. "Kid, are you okay?"

"No!" Kid yelled.

"Kid, snap out of it!"

"No!"

"Kid, you've wet yourself again!"

"No!"

"Kid!"

"Ow!"

Kid rubbed his head, scowling up at the broom hovering above him. He slowly ran his eyes down the length of the handle to where his miniscule trainer stood, no longer dressed in the ceremonial robes Kid had seen him in only moments ago. Meat was frowning solemnly at Kid, gripping onto the broom with both hands.

"What was that for?" Kid whimpered.

"You were havin' a bad dream, and I couldn't wake ya," Meat plainly replied. "Now get up, you've wet the bed again."

"But Meat, it was awful!" Kid moaned as he rolled off his bed.

"Lemme guess," Meat groaned, replacing the broom to its rightful place in the corner of the room. "You had that dream where you're marryin' Wally Tusket again, right?"

"Yeah, how did you know, Meat?"

"It's all you ever dream about, Kid. That or beef teriyaki."

"Oh. I guess so…"

"C'mon Kid, I'm gonna need to change those sheets."

"Right…"

Kid pushed himself to his feet, staggering away from his bed and rubbing at his head as he crossed the room, dragging his feet as he went. He headed straight for the door, walking out of it, squinting against the bright sun outside. In his bright yellow pyjamas and nightcap, he probably looked highly ridiculous; but Kid was beyond caring how he looked. He had far more pressing things on his mind.

Kid sat down onto a swing, hanging onto the chains at either side of his head, looking out across the houses forlornly. From where he sat, he could see the roof of Marie's house.

Kid sighed, his face drooping further as he watched the familiar rooftop.

"Aw, Kid, I know it's been hard for ya, but you gotta understand that sometimes life is hard," Meat offered, patting him on the shoulder.

"Push me," Kid asked weakly. "But not too high."

Meat screwed up his face at Kid's childish request; but another sigh from the deeply depressed Chojin quickly snapped him out of his daze. Meat walked around to Kid's back, and grabbed the chains of the swing, pulling him back, and then gently releasing him.

"Why, Meat?" Kid asked, as he swung slowly back and forth.

"I dunno, Kid," Meat replied, shaking his head, and giving Kid another gentle push.

"I love her, Meat, it's not fair! She was gonna be my wife! She was gonna cook me cow and rice every day, and we were gonna have five handsome children… And then oneday, we were gonna be king and queen of Muscle Planet."

"I know Kid."

"I hate my father."

"You don't mean that, Kid."

"Yes I do! He never even told me why!"

"He did tell you why, Kid. He told you he wanted you to marry a girl who was a bit more like your mother."

"But that's just sick! Why would I want to marry a girl that's like my own mother? I want to marry Roxanne!"

"Well, your father has forbidden it. As hard as this has been for you, you're gonna just have to learn to deal with this, Kid."

"But I miss her so much, Meat!"

"Well, y'know Kid, there's more to life than just finding love."

"Like what?"

"Like wrestling!"

"Wrestling blows!"

"Hey, watch it there, Kid!"

"Well it does. And there's not even anyone to wrestle now. We beat Generation X, I beat the Gruesome Threesome, we beat the Poison Six Pack… Say Meat, do you remember that Poison Six Pack match I was in? When I rescued Roxanne?"

"Sure I do, Kid! You did great!"

"I wish Roxanne was here right now."

"She's at college in the city, Kid."

"She should be here with me."

"Well, she graduates this summer, maybe she'll stop by and see you sometime."

"You think so?"

Meat paused, suddenly regretting what he had just said. He had merely intended to alleviate Kid's anguish, not to give him false hope of an event that was certain never to take place. Ever since King Muscle had refused to allow his son to marry Roxanne, Kid had been inconsolable. Roxanne, on the other hand, had handled things very well.

But, Meat silently reminded himself, through Marie, Roxanne had known long before Kid that King Muscle was intending to refuse the union, and so it had been less of a shock to her.

"I'm gonna go see Trixie today, Meat," Kid said decisively.

"Oh yeah?" Meat asked, pushing Kid forwards again. "You needin' a manicure?"

Kid sighed, rolling his eyes.

"No, stupid!" he groaned. "I'm gonna ask her if Roxanne is coming home again soon."

"Well, y'know, I'm sure Trixie will be glad to see you," Meat finished.

"Meat, can I ask you a question about Roxanne?"

"Sure Kid."

"Well, I was just thinking, maybe the reason my dad didn't want me to marry Roxanne has got something to do with the fact that Roxanne's mum wanted to marry my dad."

Meat stopped again, raising his eyes to the protruding rooftop of Marie's house. He let out a long, soft sigh, wondering what Marie was doing right then. Unfortunately, Meat did not wonder for long; Kid came swinging back, and the base of the swing smacked into Meat's chin, knocking him down onto his back in the sand.

"Argh!" he growled, sitting up again quickly in an attempt to recover his dignity.

"Meat, are you okay?" Kid asked, leaping off the swing and hurrying to his manager's side.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Kid," he lied, getting to his feet. "Y'know Kid, some of us never get to be with the ones we love, but we manage to live without 'em."

"You mean like how Marie managed to live without my dad?" Kid asked innocently.

"Yeah, just like that," Meat darkly replied, dusting the sand from himself.

"I guess so… But I still say it's not fair!"

Kid kicked up a cloud of sand, folding his arms tightly in a huff.

"I'll tell ya what Kid, why don't you go clean yourself up, get dressed, and run along and see Trixie at the beauty salon," Meat suggested, hoping the distraction would brighten Kid's spirits. "You know she loves to see you guys, she hardly sees Roxanne or Kiki since she dropped outta college."

"Okay," Kid agreed with another mournful sigh. "And maybe she'll give me some more of that stuff for my fingernails!"

"The anti-biting serum? Kid, it didn't work! You bit your nails more than ever, remember?"

"I know. The anti-biting serum tastes so good… It's like strappleberry flavour. Mmmm, strappleberry!"

"Strapple… What does… Actually, I don't even wanna know what strappleberry is. Just get outta my sight, Kid."

"Okay."

Meat watched Kid disappear back into the hut, before turning back to watch Marie's rooftop. Gentle wisps of grey smoke were swirling out of the chimney, and Meat quietly wondered if Marie was sitting around the fireplace with the children, reading stories to them as he had often seen her do.

Meat smiled to himself, trying to push Marie to the back of his mind. At the end of the day, Marie was still in love with King Muscle, no matter how fervently she denied it. And King Muscle did nothing to discourage the attention; he flirted with her and lured her on as much as he had done before he had even heard of his wife Belinda.

"Sometimes life is hard," he muttered to himself. "Real hard…"

* * *

**Next Chapter: **Kid goes to see Trixie at the beauty salon, where he unexpectedly bumps into two old friends. **Chapter 1 – An Uneventful Summer**. 


	2. An Uneventful Summer

**A/N:** Not too sure how well this fic will go over, as it takes a much more light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek approach to the story. Hope it isn't too silly for anyone, but hey, Ultimate Muscle is silly, and that's why it's so good! 

Again, I deviate in this chapter, as I have changed the timing of several key events that took place between Gen X and the Chojin Crown.

**Disclaimer: **I can't be bothered writing this another 30 something times, so this is the last time you will see this bit. I don't own Ultimate Muscle (shocking, I know), Yudetamago do.

**Recap: **Three years have past since the Generation X Saga, the Muscle League have overcome the Ultimate Muscle Challenge and the Poison Six Pack Challenge. King Muscle refused to allow Kid to marry Roxanne, and poor Kid is heart-broken.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – An Uneventful Summer **

Kiki hugged her book close to her chest, watching her feet as she walked. She was beginning to wish she had just stayed in the library with the damn thing – it was extremely heavy, too big to fit into her bag and it reeked of mould.

But the sunny skies and glorious green of the campus lawn had lured Kiki and her book out of doors. She had to admit the grounds of the campus were idyllic, and still as stunning to her as the day she had first laid eyes on them. And sometimes that small fact alone had been the one thing that had kept her focussed on her studies.

Kiki was, as always, dreaming to herself about various things as she walked. It was hardly surprising that she had been labelled "Dreamer" within her first week at college. Three years later, the label still stuck, and was still just as true.

Kiki's face darkened as she thought back to her first week on campus. It had been an awful time for her. Trixie had let the free life of a student go to her head, Roxanne had been talking of leaving to become queen of Muscle Planet, Dik Dik had relentlessly tried to make Kiki love him, and Checkmate had returned from his attempt to locate Sunshine at the DMP headquarters. Checkmate did not return with his trainer as he had hoped; instead, he came back with the news of Mars's death.

Kiki sighed slowly, trying to push that particular thought to the back of her mind. She had slipped into a deep depression when she had first learned of Mars's passing, as she had fully blamed herself for his death. She should have just run away with him when he asked her to, she thought to herself; at least that way, he would still be alive. The worst thing about it for Kiki was that the day she had gone back to the hospital, she had been intending to tell Mars that she could not run away with him. As much as she had loved him, he had obviously loved her a lot more. He was willing to fight for her, willing to sacrifice his way of life for her; but she had not been prepared to do the same for him.

Kiki bit into her bottom lip as she replayed in her mind the day Checkmate had told her and the girls about Mars. Checkmate had returned to the remains of the DMP hideout to look for Sunshine, as he had hoped Sunshine would join him in the Muscle League. When he got there, he found Mars's headdress, the headdress he never removed, lying in shreds outside, the shattered remains of the Mask of Madness still clinging to the red fabric.

Inside the hideout, several members of the DMP were standing around Mars, who was lying motionless on the ground, his head bald and swamped in blood.

Checkmate did not get close enough to confirm the exact cause of Mars's death, but he could confirm that Mars had been stabbed repeatedly in the head.

Kiki spent her first year at college hidden in the library, or walking the grounds of the campus, ignoring and avoiding anyone and everyone, including her two lifelong friends, Roxanne and Trixie. She heard that Trixie had dropped out and gotten a job in the local beauty salon back home. Roxanne and her mother had been invited to Muscle Planet to meet Kid's family, and Dik Dik had returned to Tanzania, where he had gone through with the arranged marriage his parents had wished for him.

Kiki's first summer brought about a few changes. Roxanne returned quickly from Muscle Planet, heart-broken and miserable. Apparently King Muscle had refused to allow his son to marry Marie's adopted daughter. Trixie had settled into her life in the salon, and had moved into an apartment above the diner. Kid Muscle returned to Earth shortly after Roxanne, and he participated in The Ultimate Muscle Challenge, where he defeated the Gruesome Threesome.

As morbid as the concept was, Roxanne's misery helped Kiki to overcome her own. Together they supported each other through their second year, at the end of which they were glad to return home for the summer. That summer, Kiki and Roxanne, along with Trixie, were all kidnapped by a band of thugs known as the Poison Six Pack.

And that was where things had begun to get really complicated.

Kiki felt her stomach sink as she recalled the fallout of the Poison Six Pack affair.

It was after that particular event that Jaeger confessed his true feelings for Roxanne. Roxanne had, in turn, confessed that she had feelings for Kevin Mask; a stunt she had been planning to make Kid jealous. Terry declared he still had a soft spot for Trixie, but Trixie said that she too liked Kevin Mask. Dik Dik then declared that he still loved Kiki, and that he was miserable with his new wife.

Kiki shook her head, glad that the web of emotions had finally untangled itself. Kevin Mask had kept out of the whole affair, and so Trixie had stepped back, leaving Terry heart-broken yet again; but the cheerful Texan had recovered with time. Roxanne had declined Jaeger's offer of a relationship on the basis of her lasting feelings for Kid; but over the last year, she had begun to change her mind, and Kiki suspected that after graduation, Roxanne may well start dating Jaeger.

When Kiki told Dik Dik he was no more than a good friend to her, he had gone back to his wife; but she had told him to leave. Although they were not yet divorced, the others all believed Dik Dik would soon be single again.

"Kiki!"

Kiki snapped out of her reverie, stopping at the library door to look back across the lawn.

"Roxanne!" she called, waving a hand to her friend.

"Hurry up, Kiki, we're meant to be meeting Trixie for lunch!" Roxanne called to her.

"Okay!"

Kiki hurried into the library, depositing her book into the returns, then ran back out, running all the way to Roxanne's side.

"Man, she'll be furious if we're late again!" Roxanne warned, hurrying on at a half-running, half-walking pace.

"Yeah, but Roxanne, after tomorrow, we're done for the whole summer!" Kiki pointed out, her shorter legs forcing her to jog at Roxanne's side to keep up.

"We'll be done forever after tomorrow, Kiki!" Roxanne reminded her. "Man, I can't wait!"

"Me neither!" Kiki agreed.

"Let's just hope this summer is an uneventful one, yeah? No more Ultimate Muscle challenges, or Poison Six Packs, or anything wrestling related!"

"Amen to that!"

The girls laughed together, attracting the attention of those around them as they giggled helplessly, running and skipping across the sunlit lawn.

* * *

Trixie wiped her hands on her apron, scanning through the trolley for the item she required.

"Hi, Trixie!"

She paused, hoping that was not Kid Muscle she had just heard. Standing up slowly to face the mirror, Trixie winced as she sighted the Prince of Muscle Planet standing behind her, wearing a grin so wide his eyes had been thinned to almost invisibility. He was dressed in a pair of bright orange, baggy, knee-length shorts and an over-sized orange hooded sweater, making him even more conspicuous than usual.

"Kid, I'm busy, go away," she sharply said, grabbing up a bottle of nail polish.

"But Trixie, Meat said I should come here!" Kid moaned, following her to the back of the shop.

"Oh, come on, Kid, like you always do what Meat tells you to!" Trixie scoffed.

"I just wanted to hang out with you…" Kid mumbled, picking his nose as he spoke.

Trixie curled her lip in disgust at Kid's subconscious habit, but quickly forced a smile when Kid noticed her expression.

"I've got plans, Kid. I'm sorry, I can't hang out with you today," she said, trying to let him down gently. "I have to finish up here, and then I'm meeting someone for lunch."

"Can't I come with you?" Kid pleaded.

"I don't think that's such a great idea, Kid…"

"Why not? Are you ashamed of me? I promise I'll be on my very best behaviour!"

"That's exactly what I'm worried about…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Look, just sit down over there, I'll catch up with you in a minute, yeah?"

"Okay."

Kid trudged over to the waiting area, sitting down and picking up a copy of _Cosmopolitan_ to peruse. He grumbled to himself and rolled his eyes as he saw an article on Checkmate. Since joining the Muscle League, fighting alongside Kid and the other headlining Chojin warriors, Checkmate had become the most popular pin-up of the IWF. It seemed like everywhere Kid went there was a suggestive poster of Checkmate; and it was usually surrounded by a group of giggling girls.

"Pff," Kid muttered. "I'm way better looking than him any day…"

Kid sighed, turning the page and scanning through the next article. The sound of the salon door opening drew his eyes from the magazine, and he watched as a familiar-looking girl stepped into the salon, looking around herself as though she was lost.

Kid frowned to himself, trying to think why she looked so familiar to him. She was quite small, in both height and build. She was dressed plainly in a skirt and sweater, and her long green hair sat over either shoulder in loose pleats.

"Kid Muscle?" she squeaked as her green eyes landed on Kid.

"Yeah?" Kid responded.

"Oh my God, what are you doing here?" she asked, scurrying over to his side.

"I'm waiting for Trixie!" Kid brightly replied. "We're having lunch together!"

"You're having lunch with Trixie? But you can't be! I'm having lunch with Trixie!"

Kid frowned up at the girl as she stood over him, studying her face more closely. Her nose and cheeks were littered with freckles, and although she seemed to be in her early twenties, her mannerisms made her seem so much younger.

"Kiki!" Kid yelled suddenly.

Kiki blinked hard as he spat her name at her, her face turning to an expression of confusion.

"You're Kiki!" Kid explained.

"Uh-huh…" Kiki slowly agreed, wiping at her face with her sleeve.

"Kiki!" Trixie said brightly.

"Trixie!"

Kiki and Trixie hugged each other briefly, and then held each other at arm's length, each studying the other carefully.

"Wow Trixie, you look great!" Kiki gushed. "I guess working here has its perks…"

"Oh yeah!" Trixie agreed. "I see you're still growing hair! It's really long now! Wow Kiki, it really suits you!"

"Thanks! Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's do it!"

Trixie and Kiki turned towards the door, walking off together. Kid watched them until they had left the salon completely before leaping up after them, tossing the magazine back down as he left.

"Hey!" he yelled, running after them. "Wait for me!"

"Trixie, did you invite Kid Muscle?" Kiki hissed as they quickened their pace in an attempt to stay ahead of the incessant pest.

"He invited himself," Trixie whispered. "He doesn't know we're meeting Roxanne."

"Roxanne will totally freak out when she sees him!" Kiki warned. "She's still hung up over him!"

"Yeah, Kid's still hung up over her," Trixie replied. "He comes around all the time to tell me how much he loves and misses his darling Roxanne…"

"Girls!" Kid greeted them, pushing between them.

Kid dropped an arm over each of the girl's shoulders, happily walking on with a girl either side of him.

"Look at us, girls!" he said with a huge grin. "It's just like old times."

All three entered the diner, heading towards the table Roxanne had reserved for them. As they approached, Roxanne was staring out of the window, oblivious to their arrival, and Kid was watching the food counter, unaware that Roxanne was even in the diner.

Trixie and Kiki exchanged nervous glances in the instant before both Roxanne and Kid turned towards each other.

"You!" they both said, staring at each other with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry Roxanne," Trixie quickly said.

"No, no problem," Roxanne said, standing up. "I have to go home for something anyway. I'll catch you all later, yeah?"

"Roxanne, don't go!" Kid pleaded.

"Kid, I…"

Roxanne paused, looking directly into Kid's eyes. Her eyes began to water over and she hurried out of the diner, running off in the direction of Marie's house.

"Roxanne!" Kid wailed, starting after her.

"Leave it, Kid!" Kiki warned.

"Yeah Kid, she's seeing Jaeger now, remember?" Trixie added.

"Oh yeah…"

Kid hung his head low, slowly walking to the door, dragging his feet as he went. Kiki turned to Trixie for an explanation of her previous remark, but Trixie was watching something else. Kiki turned to see what had captured her friend's attention, finding the TV set above the counter of the diner.

"And here we see Vance McMadd stepping down as chairman of the IWF," the reporter said, as the news channel played footage of Vance McMadd at a press conference with his son, Ikeman McMadd.

"I shall bring a new vibe to the IWF," Ikeman announced. "I'll be introducing some new and interesting ideas that will put the IWF back on top!"

"He doesn't have any ideas for the IWF at all!" Kiki scoffed, crossing her arms. "Least of all new and interesting ones."

"I bet he doesn't!" Trixie said, turning to face Kiki.

Kiki narrowed her eyes sceptically as she saw that Trixie was grinning like an idiot.

"And that's a good thing?" she asked.

"Yes!" Trixie said, with barely contained jubilation. "Don't you see? Ikeman doesn't have a clue how to make the IWF popular again!"

"Yeah…" Kiki said slowly. "So?"

"Well, he needs an idea, and we need an opportunity."

"What are you talking about, Trixie?"

"Kid and Roxanne, you idiot! This is our chance, don't you see?"

"No."

"Look, all we have to do is convince Ikeman to hold some sort of tournament that will last a long time, bringing Kid and Roxanne back together!"

"But King Muscle will still refuse to let them marry!"

"Not if we do this right. If we could somehow find a way for Kid to prove himself a worthy king, prove that he is even better than his dad, then he would win his dad's respect, and then maybe he could just tell his dad he's marrying Roxanne!"

"I guess that could work. But unless the DMP resurface, how could we possibly stage something like that? Something so huge? Something that would really prove that Kid can be a champion? Something that would show that he is better than his dad?"

"Y'know Kiki, I think I know just the thing."

"You do?"

"Well sure! We just need to convince Ikeman to hold another Chojin Crown tournament!"

"A what?"

"Trust me Kiki, this plan is flawless!"

* * *

**Next Chapter: **Trixie and Kiki try to convince Ikeman to hold another Chojin Crown tournament in an attempt to unite Kid and Roxanne. **Chapter 2 – Trixie's Crazy Plan**. 


	3. Trixie's Crazy Plan

**A/N:** The word "fag" has two meanings in my neck of the woods: it can mean a cigarette or a gay man. Trust me, this obscure note will make sense later in this chapter, when one of the characters goes a tad un-PC. 

**Recap: **Roxanne and Kiki are back from the city. Kid misses Roxanne, Roxanne misses Kid, but the powers that be are keeping them apart; but Trixie thinks she knows a way of reuniting them!

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Trixie's Crazy Plan!**

"Oh God!" Kiki yelped, leaping back behind the partition, pressing a hand to her chest.

"What?" Trixie asked innocently.

"That's so totally gross, there's no way I'm going over there!" Kiki replied, gulping back the urge to retch.

Trixie rolled her eyes, smiling slightly at Kiki's reaction.

"He comes in here all the time, you get used to it after a while," Trixie assured her.

"But it's so horrible!" Kiki whimpered.

"Yeah, well, we're gonna have to confront it if we want to stand a chance of getting Kid and Roxanne back together… We do want Kid and Roxanne to get together, don't we? I mean, I know Kid is miserable without Roxanne, but Roxanne's got Jaeger now…"

"She doesn't like Jaeger! At least, not in the same way she likes Kid."

"And then there's Kevin Mask…"

"Trixie!"

"They say Kevin is like so totally gorgeous underneath that mask, y'know."

"Trixie!"

"I read somewhere that he looks just like–"

"TRIXIE!"

"What?"

"Let's just get this over with, okay?"

"What? Oh, right. Okay."

Trixie started across the salon without Kiki, who hesitated a moment longer in a desperate attempt to prepare herself for what lay ahead of her. Taking a deep breath, Kiki stepped out from behind the partition, forcing a toothy grin as she crossed the salon to where Ikeman was seated in a large, leather reclining chair.

"Hi, Ikeman!" Trixie greeted him. "How are you today?"

"Fine," he replied, keeping his eyes closed.

"How's the toenail grinding coming along?" Trixie asked, casting a glance at Kiki, whose face had turned greener than her hair as she watched three girls attack Ikeman's yellow toenails with a Dremmel.

"Fine," Ikeman casually replied, opening his eyes to look at Trixie. "I think I need my eyebrows done though. What do you think, Tall Girl?"

"I think I can definitely help you out there, Ikeman. Come see me once you're done here, and I'll fix you up good."

"Yes. And tell Fat Girl I want my roots redone."

"I will do."

Trixie edged away from Ikeman, pushing Kiki away ahead of herself as she left him.

"Tall Girl?" Kiki whispered as they headed towards the back of the shop. "Fat Girl?"

"He doesn't believe in learning the names of mere mortals who are beneath him," Trixie explained, arching an eyebrow to indicate her sarcasm.

"Great," Kiki grumbled. "I can't wait to hear what he calls me!"

"Never mind about that," Trixie dismissed. "Here's the plan: we get him through the back here, then we try to talk him into holding the tournament. We have to make him think it was his idea."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"If that doesn't work, we wax his eyebrows clean off his face, and we tell him we'll take the treatment to other areas of his body if he doesn't agree."

"Trixie, that's… That's evil!"

"Welcome home, Kiki."

Trixie winked at Kiki grabbing up a pot of wax and depositing it into the microwave.

"Now take this, and shut-up," Trixie said, handing Kiki a bunch of strips of cloth. "Just let me do the talking, okay?"

"Okay…" Kiki quietly agreed, eying the strips of cloth nervously.

The microwave pinged to indicate that the wax was ready, and as Trixie was removing the pot of wax, the door to the little room swung open and Ikeman popped his head around the corner to grin at Trixie.

"That sound is music to my ears!" he sang. "I just love the smell of hot wax!"

Kiki snorted as she tried not to laugh at Ikeman's remark. He scowled at her fiercely as he climbed onto the reclining chair in the middle of the room, obviously less than impressed by her reaction.

"Is she a trainee, Tall Girl?" he asked Trixie as she eased the chair back, lying him down between herself and Kiki.

"Yeah," Trixie casually replied, dipping a plastic spatula into the wax. "So Ikeman, how are things at the IWF thesedays?"

"Oh you know," Ikeman sighed. "Wrestling is such a fickle business…"

Ikeman let out a series of muffled, high-pitched squeals as Trixie spread the hot wax over the area between his eyebrows, making it even harder for Kiki not to laugh at him.

"I'm much busier now that I'm chairman, of course!" Ikeman added with another sigh. "So much responsibility… And I do believe my fanmail has doubled!"

"Doubled!" Trixie echoed, looking earnest in her response. "Wow Kiki, did you hear that? I didn't think that was possible. I thought Ikeman already had all the fans in the world!"

Kiki's lip quivered as she struggled with all her might to restrain her laughter. Kiki bit into her lip to hold it still, a tear forming in one eye from the strain of her repressed laughter.

"Of course, it's not so much that I have any more fans than I already had," Ikeman explained. "It's just that now I am the chairman of the IWF, they write to me more often."

"So, are most of your letters from men or women?" Trixie asked, her face still deathly serious.

Kiki snorted again, at which Ikeman shifted his eyes to glare at her for a moment.

"Your assistant isn't very bright, is she, Tall Girl?" Ikeman asked Trixie.

Kiki gasped indignantly, but Trixie quickly shook her head, warning Kiki not to respond to the direct insult.

"But to answer your question, I get equal amounts of fanmail from both men and women!" Ikeman continued. "My letters from women are all asking for my hand in marriage, and the men write to me to ask me if I would marry their sisters and daughters. And they send photos too!"

Kiki, no longer able to contain herself, laughed out loud, doubling over and clutching at her ribs as tears of laughter welled in her eyes.

"Kiki, outside, now!" Trixie barked at her.

Trixie grabbed Kiki's wrist, pulling her back into the main shop.

"Kiki, you're ruining this!" she snarled. "Now stop it!"

"But it's… He's so… I mean… "They send photos, too"! Ha!"

Kiki doubled over again, laughing uncontrollably.

"I don't have time for this," Trixie grumbled.

Trixie took a few steps away from Kiki, grabbing a giant pair of shears from the hairdresser's trolley. She marched back up to Kiki, grabbing one of her pleats in one hand, and opening the shears around it with the other. Kiki immediately stopped laughing, yelping in shock as she saw the shimmering blades hovering over the hair it had taken her three years to grow.

"Now, are you gonna shut-up?" Trixie asked her.

"Yes!" Kiki whimpered.

"Good," Trixie said sweetly, removing her threat.

Kiki sighed in relief, grabbing onto a nearby table for support.

"Now come on!"

Trixie grabbed Kiki's wrist and dragged her back into the room, smiling politely at Ikeman, who lay with his arms folded, and a circle of drying wax around each black eyebrow.

"So Ikeman," Trixie said, plucking some strips of cloth from Kiki's hands. "Any new and exciting plans for the IWF now that you're officially the chairman?"

"No," Ikeman sighed.

"What, none at all? I bet he's just hiding it from us, Kiki! A dynamic guy like Ikeman must have loads of big plans for the IWF, I just know it!"

"I do? I mean, yes, I do. Of course I do. I am the chairman of the IWF, after all! And a very dynamic one at that!"

Trixie finished placing the cloths over the wax, smiling to herself as Ikeman begin to fidget awkwardly.

"Some of my plans for the IWF are very big, in fact," he added nervously.

"I'm sure they are!" Trixie agreed, ripping off the first strip of cloth and drawing another muffled, girlish scream from Ikeman.

Kiki could have sworn Trixie was enjoying herself; but she tried not to watch the situation, as the urge to laugh out loud was mounting up inside of her again.

"And I always give the fans exactly what they want!" Ikeman added.

"I bet you do, Ikeman!" Trixie agreed. "And I bet you that know just how much the fans love a good wrestling tournament."

"A wrestling tournament… Yes, yes I do! I do know that my fans love a good wrestling tournament! And I also know just the sort of tournament they like best!"

"You do?"

"Yes!"

"But I suppose you can't tell us that. I guess it must be classified information, the sort of classified information only a chairman like yourself would know about."

"No, you are quite right, Tall Girl. I can't just go around telling everyone about my big plans for a big wrestling tournament in the IWF."

Ikeman fidgeted, glancing back and forth between Trixie and Kiki. Trixie maintained her smirk of suppressed satisfaction, whilst Kiki was still struggling to restrain her laughter.

"Although I can't tell you any details as such," Ikeman began slowly. "You can try to guess what sort of tournament it is, if you like. And I even promise to tell you if you get it right. I think that's fair."

Trixie ripped another strip off Ikeman's face, winking at Kiki to indicate her plan was working just as she had planned.

"Wow, Ikemann, that's really cool of you," Trixie said sweetly. "Let's see… Oh, I dunno…" Trixie ripped another strip off of Ikeman's face as she tried to look thoughtful. "I loved the Chojin Crown tournaments they used to hold. But it's been so long since the IWF held one. Everyone I know would just love to see another Chojin Crown tournament. They are so exciting!"

"Really…"

"Oh yeah!" Kiki added, trusting herself not to laugh. "The last tournament was so huge, and it like totally sold out! I mean, all the tickets were gone in like a few hours! And it lasted for weeks, with huge audiences at every event! And it looked like such fun! I would just love the IWF to hold another Chojin Crown! It would be so great to go to something like that!"

"Well, I suppose if even you, Retard Girl, have heard of the Chojin Crown, then it must be a very popular tournament!" Ikeman said, his voice slow and loud as he addressed Kiki, as though he was speaking to someone that was both hard of hearing and extremely dim.

Kiki looked up at Trixie, mouthing out the words "Retard Girl" in sheer disgust; but Trixie shook her head again, reminding her not to respond.

"So did we guess right?' Trixie pressed. "Is that what you're gonna do, Ikeman? Are you gonna make these two girls very happy? Are you gonna hold another Chojin Crown tournament?"

"Yes!" Ikeman declared, sitting up sharply. "And I shall rename it "The Ikeman Chojin Crown"! Ooh, how sexy is that? "The Ikeman Chojin Crown"! I love it!"

Ikeman leap off the chair, and raced out of the room, leaving Trixie and Kiki alone. They slowly turned to face each other, and Trixie shrugged.

"Sexy?" Kiki asked.

"Yeah," Trixie replied with a nod of her head. "That's sexy. That's almost as sexy as a man in a pleated brass skirt with three wax strips on his eyebrows."

Kiki burst out laughing as she remembered that Trixie had not finished removing the waxed strips from Ikeman's face before he had run off. Trixie quickly ran to the door, beckoning Kiki to follow her. Together they ran out of the salon, onto the street, watching Ikeman as he ran off, his arms flailing at his sides like a giddy seven-year old schoolgirl.

"We couldn't have expected him to have stayed much longer, anyway," Trixie sighed. "I bet he was just gasping for a fag…"

"I didn't know he smoked!" Kiki innocently replied, turning to her friend.

"He doesn't," Trixie replied, arching an eyebrow.

"You're terrible, Trixie!" Kiki gasped, following Trixie back into the salon.

"Admit it Kiki," Trixie said with a sigh. "Despite all the hip new friends you made on campus, none of them had a patch on me."

"You're right there, Trixie," Kiki agreed. "You really are one in a million."

"Thanks, Kiki!"

"It wasn't a compliment, Trixie…"

Kiki rolled her eyes, laughing to herself as Trixie walked off, swaying her hips and smiling smugly to herself. Now all they could do was sit back and hope that Trixie's plan would work.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **Whilst the rest of the Muscle Leaguers enter the Chojin Crown preliminary matches, Kid decides it all sounds too much like hard and dangerous work to him.** Chapter 3 – The Power of Love**

**A/N(2):** I've seen a lot of good writers getting kicked off this website for not exercising caution, and so when I post the next chapter, I will be changing the rating to R for the whole fic. This means removing myself from the main page, I know, but I need to cover my own back. Anyone looking for this fic again will need to use the "Rating" menu and choose either "All" or "R", then press "Go".

**NB: **Reviews make Lucretia Decoy a happy ducky!!!


	4. The Power of Love

**A/N:** I don't know what was wrong with me when I wrote this chapter. Please forgive me. And please forgive my terrible, toilet-based British sense of humour. I am fully aware that I need some therapy. 

**Recap: **Trixie managed to convince Ikeman to hold another Chojin Crown tournament, which he has decided to rename "The Ikeman Chojin Crown".

* * *

**Chapter 3 – The Power of Love**

"Hey, what's goin' on in here?" Meat demanded, planting his hands in his hips as he surveyed the scene inside the hut.

"No more Vance McMadd!" Kid giggled, falling back against his beanbag chair.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean no more wrestling!" Meat reminded him, plucking up an empty family-size bag of Doritos and eying it in disgust. "And it doesn't mean no more evil supervillains either! No-one knows when and where the DMP is gonna strike next!"

Meat took a step towards the six Chojins sitting in a circle around the television, stumbling as his feet collided with a stack of beer cans.

"Hey, what's all this?" he snapped, kicking the tower of cans over.

"Dang, Meat, what did you have to go an' do that for?" Terry asked. "I was gonna show Jaeger here how to knock down that there tower by just hittin' out one can!"

"I zhink Meat has already done it!" Jaeger pointed out, pointing at the scattered cans.

"Wow Meat, I didn't know you had any skills," Kid muttered, picking his nose as he slouched lower into his chair.

"If your fathers could see you all now!" Meat roared, waving a fist at the group.

"My father doesn't care what I do, just so long as I wear my stupid mask, and fart a lot," Kid said with a sigh.

As though to reiterate his point, Kid leaned to one side, letting out a long, loud, rattling fart.

"Can't you at least give us fair warning before you do that, Kid?" Dik Dik groaned, clamping a hand over his nose.

"Hast thou been eating fish, Kid Muscle?" Checkmate asked, sniffing at the air.

"Yeah, I gave him one of my crab burgers!" Wally chirped.

"Crab burgers?" Terry echoed, screwing up his face in disgust. "That sounds like the Devil's food, if you ask me."

"No-one did ask you," Kid sneered.

"Are you backtalkin' me?" Terry snapped.

"Calm down, Terry!" Jaeger insisted. "You are so uptight!"

"Yeah Terry!" Wally added. "Have another beer."

Wally rolled a can towards Terry, but it stopped midway across the floor as Meat stomped a foot down onto it.

"Get off your lazy asses and get out there!" Meat yelled, pointing at the door. "Now!"

"Why should we?" Kid asked, flicking the treasures of his nostril at his manager.

"Ain't you heard?" Meat roared, pointing at the television. "If you've been watchin' the current affairs, like you're meant to be doing, you should know that… What the hell is that?"

Meat turned fully, for the first time since entering the hut, to the television set, his eyes widening at what he saw on the screen.

"Dad sent them to me to help pass some time," Kid explained, as Meat gingerly lifted the empty DVD case from the top of the television.

"Swedish Lesbians in Blackcurrant Jam?" Meat read aloud from the DVD cover.

"Oh, zhat vas mine!" Jaeger confessed, raising a hand in the air. "But all ze rest are from King Muscle."

"Furry Fun Down on the Farm?" Meat asked, holding up another DVD.

"Oh, ma bad!" Terry admitted, holding up a hand.

"Big Jugs?"

"Me!" Wally called.

"Busty Beach Babes?"

"That wouldst be mine!" Checkmate said.

"Play Muscle Annual?"

"Dad sent that!" Kid sang.

"Big Babes with Big Guns?"

"Dad again," Kid confirmed.

"Bambi?"

The others all turned to Dik Dik, who shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"The man in the shop made it sound so much more erotic!" he defended himself. "He said it was the tale of a young man on a path of self-discovery. He said Bambi had a friend called Thumper who had a big pair. What was I supposed to think?"

"Uh-huh…" Meat said slowly dropping the DVDs to the floor.

"I'm telling the truth, I swear! Don't look at me like that!" Dik Dik wailed. "I'm a very lonely man!"

"Just get your asses outside," Meat dryly said. "Before I kick them all out."

"Nuh-uh, I'm not going anywhere!" Kid said stubbornly, folding his arms in a childish sulk.

"Oh no?" Meat asked, walking to the corner of the hut.

As Meat grabbed up the broom, the other five Chojins leapt to their feet, running out of the hut before Meat had returned with his famed weapon of choice. Kid had closed his eyes, feigning sleep, and so did not see Meat's approach.

"Wow, Kid sure is brave sometimes!" Terry whispered to the others as they huddled outside, watching the hut anxiously.

A sudden bang, followed by a petrified scream, quickly changed their opinion of their friend. Kid burst out of the hut, tears in his eyes and his hands clutching the point on his head where the broom had made contact. Meat followed shortly after him, brandishing the weathered broom in both hands, his teeth bared at them all.

"Now get to work!" he shouted, waving the broom about above his head.

Kid leapt into the makeshift ring Meat had set-up, and the others soon followed after him, lest they incur the wrath of the already fuming Meat.

"Meat, you never told us why we need to train?" Dik Dik called to Meat once he was safely inside the ring.

"You need to train because you were sent here as guardians of the Earth, and you need to stay on top of your game!" Meat growled. "But moreover, you need to train right now because Ikeman McMadd has just announced that there's gonna be another Chojin Crown tournament."

"What?" Terry, Kid and Jaeger said in unison.

The others frowned at them in anticipation of an explanation for their shock.

"It's the biggest event in the IWF," Meat explained. "King Muscle won it in the past, and he'll be lookin' for his son to do the same!"

"Ha, Kid isn't fit to win anything right now!" Dik Dik laughed, pointing at Kid. "Except maybe a pie-eating contest!"

"Yeah, whatever," Kid scoffed. "At least I don't get off on Bambi…"

The others "ooh"ed as Dik Dik and Kid glared at each other.

"I thought it was a good, clean, decent pornographic movie about two adolescents!" Dik Dik argued.

"I guess it was just all them deer, huh Dik Dik?" Terry asked, smirking to himself. "Did they make ya "horny"?"

The others burst out laughing, and Dik Dik turned his back on them in a melodramatic huff.

"Come on guys, give Dik Dik a break!" Wally tried.

"Best not go talkin' 'bout no breaks near ol' Dik Dik, Wally," Terry warned. "Given that his missus has finally dumped his sorry ass!"

"How dare you!" Dik Dik roared, turning on Terry.

"Yeah Terry," Kid said. "At least Dik Dik had a wife."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, cause you ain't married neither, Kid Muscle!" Terry yelled back.

"And you know why I'm not!" Kid shouted.

"Vell, it could be vorse, boys," Jaeger said with a sigh.

"How?" Kid, Terry and Dik Dik asked him.

"You could be Vally," Jaeger replied, pointing at Wally.

"Yeah, I reckon he's still a virgin!" Terry chuckled.

"Hey!" Wally yelled.

"Really, all this childish bickering is beneath a Chojin warrior," Checkmate scolded them.

"Listen to Checkmate, guys!" Meat agreed.

"Indeed," Checkmate continued. "But then again, they do say that those who get it the least, talk about it the most, and so I suppose thou should all continue…"

"Yeah, just rub it in, why don't you?" Kid yelled. "What is it with you, anyway? Why do all girls like you best?"

"I reckon it's his European mystique," Terry said.

"Oh yeah?" Kid echoed. "What about Jaeger? He's European, and he can only get the guys…"

"Hey!" Jaeger yelled.

"The real enemy here boys is that Kevin Mask!" Dik Dik declared, waving a fist and narrowing his eyes. "All the girls love Kevin Mask. Oh, how they love Kevin Mask…"

"Tis true that the girls love an honourable gentleman!" Checkmate sighed.

"Oh just shut-up already!" Kid snapped at him.

"What about an Irishman?" Wally asked.

"Irish are all drunks, ain't they?" Terry muttered.

"No, I think you mean the Texans…" Wally muttered.

"Hey, you keep that up and I'ma have to whoop your ass!" Terry yelled.

"Bad temper and stinking of alcohol," Wally sighed. "And he says it's me that's the drunk…"

"Why you…!"

"He does have a point, Terry," Kid agreed.

"At least Terry doesn't fart on us and steal all of our food all ze time!" Jaeger argued.

"At least Kid doesn't have an unhealthy fixation with sausages…" Dik Dik muttered, eying his fingernails idly as he spoke.

"At least Jaeger doesn't want to get dirty with a Disney character," Wally pointed out.

"At least Dik Dik does not reek of rotted fish!" Checkmate argued.

"At least Wally doesn't go around showing all the girls his bricks," Kid snorted.

The others all turned to Kid, blinking at him in shock.

"Man, you guys are such perverts!" Kid shouted, shaking his head at them all. "I said BRICKS! Not penises."

The six Chojins paused, each musing over Kid's statement for a moment, trying to make sense of it. After all shrugging off their perplexed expressions, they turned to glare around at each other, their confusion soon turning back to anger.

There was another brief pause before all six wrestlers pounced into the centre of the ring, punching and kicking frantically at each other. Meat smiled to himself, planting the handle of the broom into the sand at his side as he watched the fruits of his labour bloom.

"Hey guys, you might wanna try actually wrestling, rather than just brawlin' like that," he said, as the fight began to look more like a punch-up in a bar than a sparring session between six professional Chojin warriors. "Guys? Guys!"

Meat sighed, grabbing up his broom again.

"Sometimes I wish I hadn't sworn to serve the darn Kinnikus…" he muttered as he climbed into the ring. "All right, break it up!"

Meat began using the handle of the broom to pry the wrestlers off each other; but no sooner had he successfully removed one Chojin from the others, than they would jump back into the medley, with renewed fervour.

"I can see this is gonna be a long day…" Meat grumbled, shaking his head in despair at the mass of bodies at his feet.

* * *

"So anyway, I've decided I'm not entering the Chojin Crown," Kid said decisively.

"But Kid, you gotta!" Meat pleaded.

"Nuh-uh!" Kid disagreed, shaking his head. "If the prize was like a million Kinniku dollars then maybe I would. But who needs a stupid championship belt? My dad's already got loads of those back at the palace. And he's won the Chojin Crown tournament already. Twice. That's once for him, and once for me."

Meat growled in frustration, his hands hovering over the broom as he contemplated beating into Kid again, in the hope that another trashing would bring him to his senses. When he turned back, Kid had disappeared. Meat glanced at the television screen Kid had been glued to, tilting his head in a mixture of confusion and horror as he saw a cartoon deer talking to a cartoon rabbit with giant feet.

"Hey Kid!" he called, looking around the hut. "Kid?"

Meat walked over to the half-open door, his eyes narrowing as he sighted Kid standing outside in the park with a group of young girls, holding up his Lantern of Soul.

"Hey girls, which one of you wants to light my lantern?" Kid asked, jangling the lantern at them. "Or maybe you all do!"

Meat groaned, walking back into the hut. He stopped the DVD, sitting down to watch the news coverage of the preliminary qualifying matches for the Chojin Crown.

"At least the other guys got my message," he muttered, as he saw Dik Dik stand victorious as the representative for Tanzania.

As the image changed to Germany's deciding match-up, Kid returned to the hut, slamming the door shut and throwing down his lantern.

"Hey, hey, careful there, Kid!" Meat warned, grabbing up the lantern. "Sheesh, Kid, don't you remember how much hard work it took to win this thing? Don't you remember what you learned from this lantern?"

"Who cares?" Kid sighed, dropping down beside his manager. "What does any of it matter if I can't even marry Roxanne?"

"You didn't look too hung up over Roxanne out there just now…" Meat muttered.

"Well, Trixie said Roxanne's dating other guys!"

"Yeah, she's dating Jaeger."

"Yeah, Trixie said that, but… Hey!"

Kid's eyes locked onto the television screen as he spotted Roxanne and Marie in the front row of a wrestling arena, cheering wildly. The camera panned across to show Jaeger standing victorious as the representative for Germany.

"Roxanne always did like a man who was a fighter," Meat commented, eying Kid for his response. "And I'll bet she especially likes a guy that's a winner…"

One of Kid's eyes twitched as he watched the camera jump between various shots of the audience, who were unanimously chanting Jaeger's name. When the camera returned to Jaeger, the German Chojin was stepping out of the ring and approaching the steel railings that ran around the front row. Kid's jaw dropped as Jaeger walked directly over to Roxanne and boldly kissed her on the lips.

"That son of a…" he muttered, crawling over to the television screen. "Get your stinkin' hands off my Roxanne!"

Kid grabbed the television set and began shaking it back and forth, rising to his feet with it as he watched Roxanne fawn over Jaeger. He ground his teeth in anger, shaking the television harder still.

"Damn that Jaeger!" Meat said, standing up. "You should kick his ass for disrespectin' you like that, Kid! The whole world just saw what he did! This is on live, worldwide television!"

"You're damn right!" Kid yelled, his eyes ablaze with anger as Roxanne stretched up to kiss Jaeger.

"You should beat him down!" Meat added.

"Yeah!" Kid roared, holding the television up above his head.

"And what better way to do it than at the Chojin Crown! Beat him there, get your revenge, and walk home with the championship! Roxanne will fall at your feet, and your dad will have renewed respect for you!"

Kid snarled viciously, hurling the television through the wall of the hut, and then powering up to Ultimate Muscle.

"I'll show that Jaeger!" he declared. "And I'll show my father! If I'm the champion, he can't refuse my marriage to Roxanne any longer!"

"Yeah!" Meat cheered.

"To the preliminaries!" Kid said, pointing at the door.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Meat said, teary-eyed with joy.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **Now that Kid has decided to enter the Chojin Crown, he has to win a preliminary qualifier match; but is he too late to enter? **Chapter 4 – National Hero**. 


	5. National Hero

**A/N:** I hate beginnings of stories. And mine's are always so slow and boring. So I am trying to upload the first 7 chapters as quickly as possible to get to the more dramatic parts of the story. That, and I'm extremely bored at work, so spend a good portion of my time there writing this fic! 

**Recap:** After seeing Roxanne kissing Jaeger, Kid Muscle found the motivation he needed to enter the Ikeman Chojin Crown.

* * *

**Chapter 4 – National Hero**

"Um, excuse me?" Kiki said softly.

Kiki held up one finger, her eyes crossing to focus on the baseball bat that hung over her head, casting a shadow over her features.

"Isn't this illegal?" she asked weakly.

"Only if we get caught," Trixie replied with an evil grin, before swinging the bat around again.

Kiki shut her eyes as she heard another thump, groan, thump.

"And to think, my sisters told me I was stupid for getting all those batting lessons!" Trixie muttered, swinging the bat back and forth.

Kiki opened her eyes again, creeping forwards.

"Oh God!" she gasped, peering over Trixie's shoulder at the result of her friend's insane actions. "Trixie, how many are you gonna take out?"

"As many as it takes!" Trixie said, her eyes flashing maniacally.

Kiki looked down again at the three unconscious wrestlers lying in the hallway, their bodies slumped together in a pile, just as they had fallen.

"How can you do this, Trixie?" Kiki asked, looking up at her friend.

"It's real easy," Trixie assured her. "It's all about hitting 'em in exactly the right spot, to take 'em out in one smooth blow! Listen, I can hear someone coming this way now. Watch carefully, and you'll see what I mean!"

"Trixie, I think we've done enough damage," Kiki insisted. "Surely by now there's no-one else but Kid Muscle left to fight this El Nino guy! Let's just go down to the ring and watch the match, yeah?"

"Three guys… Y'know Kiki, I think you might just be right. I think that is everyone except El Nino and Kid Muscle. But let me just whack this other guy, just to be sure…"

"But Trixie-"

"Hi-yah!"

Trixie swung her bat around, smacking it into the head of the passing person, knocking them down onto the pile of bodies. Trixie smiled triumphantly, nodding her head at Kiki.

"Um, Trixie?" Kiki said warily.

"What?" Trixie asked innocently.

"Look," Kiki whispered, pointing at the most recently "whacked" person.

"Huh?"

Trixie turned around, dropping her bat in shock at what she saw.

"Oh shit!" she gasped. "It was an accident! I thought she was a wrestler! What was she doing walking back here, anyway? This area is a restricted area, for wrestlers only! There shouldn't be any girls around here!"

"Yeah, you're right there," Kiki grumbled sarcastically. "I mean, what would a girl be doing in a restricted area of the arena like this?"

Trixie slowly crouched down, reaching her hands out towards the woman who lay at the top of the pile of bodies, her face twitching through expressions of regret, shock and fear.

"Who is she, anyway?" Kiki asked, stepping out of their hiding place in the janitor's cupboard.

"I dunno," Trixie said. "She looks like she's from Planet Muscle. See, she's wearing one of those triangular things on her head like Kid Muscle and Ikeman McMadd do. Maybe she's a relative of Kid's."

"She's very pretty."

"I don't like her."

Trixie stood up abruptly, looking down at the pink-haired woman in disgust.

"Look at what she's wearing!" Trixie added. "Who does she think she is? Wonderwoman? Hot pants, sport's bra, a cloak and knee-high boots? What was she thinking? I mean, didn't she think to look in a mirror before she left the house?"

Kiki squatted down, gingerly lifting a curtain of pink hair from the woman's face.

"She is very pretty," Kiki said, looking up at Trixie.

"You said that already," Trixie bluntly replied, folding her arms. "Maybe when she wakes up, you could ask out to dinner?"

"Trixie, we have to help her."

"No we don't. You said yourself, we need to get down to the ring. We might miss Kid's match, and we have to be there to support him and make sure that he wins! Now come on!"

Trixie grabbed her baseball bat in one hand, and Kiki's ponytail in the other, marching off down the hall. Kiki screamed, stumbling after her. She cast one last look at the pile of bodies in the hall, before turning around and pulling Trixie's hand from her hair.

"I'm starting to remember why I got my hair cut short in the first place…" she grumbled.

"Yeah, because Roxanne set fire to it," Trixie calmly replied.

"She only set fire to my hair because you were pulling it over the table when Roxanne was blowing out the candles on her birthday cake!"

"Details, details! Come on!"

Kiki followed Trixie into the stands, slightly perturbed to find that their seats were up in the balconies, and only three rows forward from the very back row.

"I can hardly even see the ring from here, never mind make out who's fighting and how well they're doing!" Kiki moaned.

"Yeah, well, you're just gonna have to get used to it. Until we get Kid and Roxanne back together, there will be no more front row tickets for us."

Kiki nodded her agreement, side-stepping along the seated row of people to the last two remaining seats Trixie had managed to reserve for them.

"Oh look, that El Nino guy is already there!" Trixie said, sitting down into one of the seats.

"Man, I sure hope Kid doesn't screw this one up," Kiki said, sitting down next to her.

"What did you just say?" the man next to Kiki yelled at her.

"She said you better shut-up and keep your hands on your own side of that armrest, asshole!" Trixie yelled, waving a fist at him.

Kiki's eyes doubled in size as she watched Trixie shout in rage at the man next to her. After a shower of obscenities had past between them, they both eventually sat back down, grumbling to themselves about each other.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the final preliminary qualifier match-up for the Ikeman Chojin Crown!" Ikeman McMadd announced from inside the ring. "Today we have El Nino taking on…"

Ikeman paused, beckoning the IWF official at the corner of the ring to come closer. The official leapt into the ring to whisper something to Ikeman, who faltered for a moment, before recovering with one of his trademark, brilliantly false, smiles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems El Nino's scheduled opponent has been in an accident, and will be unable to attend this match-up," he declared. "This means he must forfeit the fight. And so, our second place finalist will take his place!"

The official quickly shook his head, whispering something else to Ikeman.

"Um, it seems that our second place finalist is also unable to attend this match," Ikeman said slowly. "So that means our third place… Oh what?"

The official began whispering to Ikeman, who uttered his responses through the microphone.

"Uh-huh, the third place man is missing too, I see. And the fourth and fifth are no longer in town, I see. And the sixth is… Ah… Okay, well, do we have anyone who can fight El Nino tonight? Who? Kid Muscle?"

The audience fell silent, but Trixie leapt up to her feet.

"Yeah!" she screamed. "We love Kid Muscle! Kid Muscle, Kid Muscle, Kid Muscle!"

Trixie grabbed Kiki up at her side, gripping her fingernails into Kiki's arm.

"Cheer with me," she hissed.

Both girls began chanting Kid's name, and before long, the chant spread through the audience, until the cries of Kid's name were overpowering. Ikeman's eyes flickered as he looked around himself in utter disbelief.

"Wait, wait!" Ikeman yelled, quietening the cheer. "Perhaps the match should be delayed-"

"Not at all!" El Nino boldly said. "It shall be an honour for me to fight the son of King Muscle!"

"But Kid Muscle can't fight in this match!" Ikeman said, laughing nervously. "He hasn't even registered for the tournament!"

"Hey, I paid a lotta money for my ticket, pal, I wanna see a fight!" the man next to Kiki yelled, standing up and hurling a half-empty beer can towards the ring.

Trixie and Kiki watched in awe as the can actually made its journey all the way to the ring, landing on the mat a short distance from Ikeman's foot. It rolled towards him, stubbing against his toe, the beer pouring out over the mat as it went, leaving a dark streak on the canvas. Ikeman slowly looked up from the can, looking around himself warily. The IWF official and El Nino hurriedly backed out of the ring, leaving the new IWF chairman alone in the centre of the ring, as the rumble of people getting to their feet began to grow through the arena.

There was a brief pause before a shower of empty cans, bottles, popcorn boxes and all manners of trash began to rain down on the ring. Ikeman cowered over, shielding his head with his arms, in a futile attempt to protect himself from the waste projectiles. Vance McMadd quickly jumped through the ropes, ducking and dodging the garbage as best he could to get to his son.

Vance said something to Ikeman, who looked shocked by his father's words, and began shaking his head violently. Vance repeated himself, at which point Ikeman clasped his hands together, pleading desperately with his father as he shook his head and mouthed out the word "no".

"I'm getting bored of this," Trixie grumbled, grabbing up her baseball bat.

"Trixie, what are you gonna do with that thing now?" Kiki asked, smiling as she did not expect Trixie's threat to be serious.

"Hey McMadd!" Trixie screamed, her high-pitched voice carrying over the lower cries of the men around them, and travelling down to the ring, deafening those in her immediate vicinity. "Just put Kid Muscle on, you assclown!"

Kiki quickly grabbed Trixie's arm as she attempted to hurl the baseball bat towards the ring, shaking her head violently.

"Trixie, no!" she gasped. "You could get arrested for attacking a McMadd!"

"Damn, Kiki, you're just no fun at all…" Trixie grumbled, reluctantly lowering her weapon of choice.

Ikeman and Vance had, however, heard Trixie's demand, as well as those of the other disgruntled audience members who were still actively voicing their opinions of the McMadds. Vance, not wishing to see his reputation or his business suffer, snatched the microphone from his son. Shielding his head with one arm, he made the announcement the audience wanted to hear.

"El Nino's opponent tonight will be Kid Muscle!" he bellowed into the microphone.

The audience broke into a cheer, and the assault finally died down, leaving the McMadds – who were coated in trash by that point – free to slink out of the ring and return to their private, VIP booth.

"We did it, Kiki!" Trixie said with a grin of delight. "Now all we gotta do is just hope that Kid doesn't screw this match up."

"What about that girl you knocked out backstage?" Kiki asked.

"Ah, who cares about her?" Trixie dismissed, sitting down again. "With any luck, the blow to the head did her some good. Maybe now she'll consult a mirror before she leaves the house dressed like a bargain basement whore."

"I care about her," Kiki said, sitting down next to her friend. "I hope she's okay…"

"Just shut-up about her and concentrate on cheering for Kid," Trixie sighed. "He has to make it into the tournament. Failure is not an option here. I am not gonna give up on this one."

"Why are you trying to marry Roxanne off?"

"Don't you worry, you'll be next."

"Huh?"

"Get up and fight, Kid Muscle!"

Trixie leapt to her feet again, screaming at Kid. Kiki frowned up at her friend, her suspicions growing by the minute.

"Seriously, Trixie, why are you so keen to get Roxanne and Kid back together?" she asked. "You were the one who always said that Kid Muscle wasn't good enough for Roxanne!"

"I don't hear you cheering," Trixie growled, grabbing Kiki's ponytail and pulling her to her feet.

Kiki yelped, standing up against her own will.

"Go Kid Muscle!" Trixie screeched.

Kiki sighed, rolling her eyes in despair. She decided that whatever Trixie's true motives were, they would come out soon enough; and in the mean time, it would be in her best interests to simply comply with Trixie's demands.

"Go Kid!" she called.

"What the hell are you just standing there for, Kid?" Trixie yelled, as Kid stood motionless in the ring.

"Look out, Kid!" Kiki shouted, as El Nino's hat began to spin like a saw.

Trixie climbed up into her seat, brandishing her baseball bat again, her face red and her bright blue eyes flashing with passionate anger.

"Fight back, Kid Muscle!" she roared. "Don't make me have to come down there!"

Kiki's jaw slowly dropped open as she watched El Nino spin Kid around on his hat, before launching him into the air.

"Use your Muscle Millenium, Kid Muscle!" Trixie yelled, her voice starting to go hoarse from her constant, overt vocalisations.

"Oh!" Kiki groaned, wincing as El Nino landed a giant leg-drop on Kid, who was left lying flat out on the mat, looking all but defeated.

"Get up, Kid Muscle!" Trixie wailed, jumping up and down on her seat.

Kiki glanced back and forth between Trixie and the ring, before deciding she was going to have to intervene. She quietly stepped up onto her own chair and cupped her hands around her mouth, drawing in a deep breath.

"Kid Muscle!" she shouted. "If you don't get up now, Roxanne will marry Jaeger!"

El Nino was casually strutting away from Kid, and so did not see his reaction to Kiki's words. As if by magic, Kid sat bolt upright, blinking a few times before narrowing his eyes and focussing on the back of El Nino's head.

"This one's for you, Roxanne!" he yelled, jumping up and grabbing El Nino whilst he still had his back turned to Kid.

Holding El Nino in an inverted bear hug, Kid kicked off the mat, launching both Chojins high into the air. Trixie and Kiki fell silent as they watched the two warriors ascend. Kid was trying to lock El Nino into the Kinniku Buster, but El Nino was fighting back.

"Think about Roxanne!" Meat yelled up to Kid.

"Think about Roxanne and Jaeger!" Kiki yelled to Kid.

"Think about Roxanne marrying Jaeger!" Trixie yelled.

Kid snarled at that thought, an orange-red light glowing on his forehead. With his newfound strength, Kid grabbed El Nino into a reversed, front-to-back Kinnku Buster, executing the move perfectly. When he arose from the aftermath of their collision with the mat, Kid stood alone, leaving El Nino lying unconscious on the canvas.

"And the winner is, Kid Muscle!" the IWF official yelled.

Trixie and Kiki screamed with delight, jumping and down on their seats. As Ikeman and Vance McMadd headed towards the ring with Kid's trophy, the girls turned face each other, throwing their arms round each other and jumping up and down joyously.

Meanwhile, Vance and Ikeman entered the ring, each eying Kid with an air of disgust. Vance begrudgingly held out the trophy towards Kid, who grabbed onto it, grinning so much his eyes were squashed shut. Kid made to lift the trophy above his head, but a sudden jerking on his prize caused his smile to fade.

Opening his eyes and, looking down, Kid saw that Vance was still clutching onto the trophy with enough force to have turned all his knuckles white.

"Hey, what gives?" Kid moaned, tugging at the trophy.

"You didn't even register in this God-damned tournament!" Vance barked, tugging the trophy back.

"Yeah, but you said I could fight!" Kid argued back, tugging the trophy again.

"I didn't say you could win!" Vance spat, tugging at the trophy.

"But I won fair and square!"

Kid and Vance continued to tug back and forth on the trophy, until a sound at their side made them stop. They turned to see Ikeman, clearing his throat loudly.

"Oh, just take the damn trophy," Vance grumbled, thrusting the trophy against Kid's chest.

Kid groaned upon the impact, grabbing at the trophy as he watched Vance back away from him.

"Your winner's card, Kid Muscle," Ikeman said coldly, reaching his hands over Kid's head to hang the card around his neck.

Kid began to smile, and opened his mouth to voice his thanks; but before he could speak, his breath was forced sharply from his throat as Ikeman yanked at the rope the card was suspended from, throttling the prince.

"An idiot like you can't possibly fight in my tournament!" Ikeman growled, his hands shuddering as he held the rope tight around Kid's neck.

Kid dropped his trophy, slapping at Ikeman's hands in a desperate attempt to free himself.

"Hey, lay off, McMadd!" Meat warned, leaping into the ring.

Ikeman instantly released Kid, forcing a smile. Kid doubled over, gasping in air and touching a hand to his throat as it began to throb.

"Hey Kid, are you okay?" Meat asked, touching a hand to Kid's shoulder.

"No," Kid replied darkly, straightening up before the McMadds. "You all think I'm a joke, don't you? Well I'm gonna prove to you that-"

"Kid Muscle."

Kid stopped addressing the McMadds, turning his head to see El Nino stalking towards him.

"Congratulations on your victory, Kid Muscle," El Nino said, extending a hand towards Kid. "I hope now that you will honour me by winning the Chojin Crown."

"Thanks, El Nino," Kid said, shaking his hand. "It's nice to know someone still believes in me. And I promise to do my best."

Ikeman snorted and Vance grinned at Kid's remark. Kid and Meat turned to glower at them, and they quickly hid their amusement.

"Don't worry El Nino, I'm gonna win the Chojin Crown," Kid said positively. "I have a special reason to win. I need to win."

"A special reason?" El Nino asked, tilting his head curiously.

"The reason is Roxanne," Kid explained. "I have to win this for Roxanne. If I win this tournament, I'll win more than just the championship. I'll win Roxanne's hand in marriage."

"You are fighting for love, I understand," El Nino agreed. "Well, good luck, Kid Muscle."

"Thanks El Nino."

Kid turned his back on the others, raising his trophy above his head, drawing a rapturous ovation from the audience.

"Stage one is complete, Kiki!" Trixie squealed. "It's working perfectly! Kid's sure to win the Chojin Crown now!"

"I guess so," Kiki answered her through a sigh. "Of all the wrestlers entering, I guess Kid has the most reason to need to win."

"Exactly," Trixie agreed. "What reason could be more important than love?"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** The Ikeman Chojin Crown has begun, and emotions are running high. Roxanne seems to be smitten with Jaeger, and Kid thinks he may have found a replacement for his affections. **Chapter 5 – Jacqueline**. 


	6. Jacqueline

**A/N:** I don't hate Jaeger. And surprisingly, I don't hate Dik Dik Van Dik. I never set out to make either of them bad/the butt of all the anxiety of the other characters, but the way this series has developed, that is what they have become. 

In my next fic, I will give them more prominent and respectable roles. I promise!

**Recap:** Kid defeated El Nino to secure himself a place in the Ikeman Chojin Crown. Trixie inadvertently whacked Jacqueline McMadd.

* * *

**Chapter 5 – Jacqueline**

"Kid!"

Trixie growled to herself in frustration as she tried to push her way through the massing crowds towards Kid. Despite repeatedly shouting his name, he was yet to respond to her. He was standing looking at a giant poster for the Ikeman Chojin Crown, picking his nose as he stared up at it, oblivious to Trixie's calls.

"Kid Muscle!" Trixie yelled, marching up to him.

"Huh?" he mumbled, turning to face her, his finger still lodged up his nose.

"Roxanne is on her way over here!" Trixie explained, grabbing Kid's wrist and pulling down, pulling his finger out of his nostril.

"Roxanne?" Kid echoed, smiling hopefully.

"Kid, Trixie!" Kiki greeted them. "You know what? We should really go get something to eat! What do you say, Kid? How about I buy you a nice big bowl of cow and rice? My treat for you, since you've worked so hard to get into this tournament!"

"Alright!" Kid cheered, reaching out towards Kiki with both hands.

"What about Roxanne?" Trixie quickly stopped them.

"I'm sure Kid would rather eat first," Kiki said, winking at Trixie. "He wouldn't want to face Roxanne on an empty stomach, would you Kid?"

"Kiki, Roxanne is meeting us here!" Trixie insisted, grabbing one of Kid's arms and pulling him towards herself.

"But the dinner hall is that way!" Kiki replied, grabbing Kid's other arm and pulling him towards herself.

"But Roxanne is coming here!" Trixie snapped, tugging at Kid.

"But cow and rice is this way!" Kiki insisted, tugging at Kid.

Trixie and Kiki began to argue back and forth, each tugging at Kid, who began to smile and drool as each girl made their own offer sound more tempting than the other's.

"Oh hey, here comes Jaeger!" Kid said, as he spotted Jaeger's green helmet approaching through the throngs of people.

"Huh?" Trixie echoed, turning to face Jaeger.

"I tried to warn you!" Kiki hissed.

Trixie's face dropped as Jaeger stepped out from behind a group of men, revealing that Roxanne was hanging onto his arm, smiling up at him dreamily.

"What the…?" Kid muttered, his face twisting with emotion as he watched his ex-girlfriend walk towards them, gazing lovingly at one of his best friends.

"Trixie! Kiki!" Roxanne said, smiling at her friends. "Sorry I'm so late, I got a little side-tracked on my way here…"

Roxanne and Jaeger stopped in front of Kid, and turned to face each other, smiling lovingly at each other.

"Roxanne?" Kid said weakly.

"Kid Muscle, congratulations on vinning your match vith El Nino!" Jaeger said, turning to face Kid.

"Oh you can just go straight to hell!" Kid snapped back at him.

"Vot?" Jaeger echoed.

"Kid, you don't own me," Roxanne said darkly. "You weren't brave enough to stand up to your father for me. You weren't brave enough or strong enough to fight for me, so now I've found someone who is. Deal with it, and get over it."

"But Roxanne, I…"

Kid slowly stopped, looking helpless and at a complete loss for words.

"My oh my, if it isn't Kid Muscle!"

"Huh?" Kid responded, looking over Roxanne's shoulder at the approaching figure.

Kiki and Trixie stiffened as they saw just who it was: it was the same attractive, pink-haired woman Trixie had inadvertently whacked the day before, now wearing a substantial bandage around her head. Kiki turned to Trixie, but Trixie was forcing a smile at the approaching woman, trying her best to look cute and innocent.

"Kid Muscle, right?" she said, stopping beside Jaeger, her eyes locked onto Kid.

She flicked her hair over one shoulder with her red-nailed fingers, arching an eyebrow at the prince as she slowly and methodically ran her eyes over every inch of his body.

"Jacqueline McMadd," she added as she met his eyes once more, holding out a hand towards Kid.

Kid made to shake her hand, but then noticed she was holding her wrist at an angle that seemed to suggest he should kiss her hand rather than shake it.

"Mantaro Kinnikuman," Kid replied. "But everyone calls me Kid Muscle."

He then obligingly took her hand, kissing her knuckles.

"I hear your wrestling skills are just as hot as your ripped body, Kid," Jacqueline replied, stepping closer to him.

"You do?" Kid echoed. "I mean, I am? I mean yeah! That's right! I'm hot! And so are my wrestling skills!"

Kid nodded his head, straightening his back in an attempt to look as dignified and intimidating as Jacqueline's description had made him sound.

"Say, what happened to your head, Jacqueline?" Kid asked, pointing at the bandage around Jacqueline's head.

"Oh, uh, I was attacked," Jacqueline muttered, touching the bandage self-consciously. "But my father and my brother are looking for the perpetrator as we speak."

"Your father and your… Are you Vance McMadd's daughter?" Kid asked.

"That's right, Kid," Jacqueline agreed. "And when I heard my brother was staging this tournament, I just had to come along and watch every single match. The only thing I love more than a sexy, powerful Chojin warrior is a whole tournament full of them!"

"I'm a sexy, powerful Chojin Warrior!" Kid said smugly.

"I'll say," Jacqueline whispered, touching a finger to Kid's chest and slowly running it downwards over his pecs.

"Hey!" Roxanne snapped. "What do you think you're doing?"

Jacqueline paused, her finger loitering just below Kid's navel. She turned to look down at Roxanne, a smile of condescension appearing on her face at what she saw.

"Oh I get it," she said with a sigh, stepping back from Kid and withdrawing her hand. "You three little girls must be Kid Muscle's groupies, right?"

"Wrong!" Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki all said together.

"That's alright, girls, I understand," Jacqueline said. "But Kid, just for the record, unlike these little girlies, I'm a real woman. And I need a real man. Win this tournament, and I'll marry you, Kid Muscle."

"You'll m… You'll m… Marry me?" Kid gasped, almost choking on the words. "But you've only just met me! You don't even know me yet! You don't even know that I have no bladder control and really bad flatulence! Or that my mom still chooses all my clothes for me!"

"Just remember what I said, Kid Muscle," Jacqueline said, winking at Kid. "I like a winner. And I especially like a winner who wins by using brute force and strength to totally obliterate his opponents. I promise you, if you win this tournament, Kid Muscle, I will be all yours. And then you can do whatever you want with me."

"I c…"

Kid stopped speaking, as the ability of speech suddenly left him. He stood, his bottom jaw hanging open, watching Jacqueline as she spun on her heel, and slowly slunk back into the crowds, her hips swaying as she went.

"She is such a bitch!" Roxanne roared, once Jacqueline was out of sight.

"She's beautiful…" Kid said dreamily.

"I can't believe she's wearing the same clothes she had on yesterday," Trixie muttered, in a voice so low that only Kiki could hear her. "I mean, that ensemble was bad enough the first time around, but to wear it two days in a row? She probably didn't even wash it!"

"She's not beautiful, Kid, she's just rich, and she is a complete whore!" Roxanne argued.

"She is very pretty," Kiki said with a sigh.

"Oh, would you just marry her already?" Trixie snapped. "Man, what is it with you, Kiki? Is there something you're not telling us?"

"Are you a lesbian?" Jaeger asked Kiki, his eyes wide with interest.

"Hey, knock that off!" Roxanne scolded him.

"You can have her if you want, Kiki," Kid said, grinning slyly at Kiki. "Just so long as you do it my bed, and I get to watch…"

"You are so horrible, Kid Muscle!" Roxanne snapped. "I can't believe I ever went out with you!"

"I wonder if Jacqueline can cook a good bowl of cow and rice…" Kid mused.

"That's all you care about, isn't it?" Roxanne fumed. "Food, food, food! I'm so totally glad I never married you!"

Kid turned to look at Roxanne, frowning at her.

"Y'know Roxanne, I think my dad might have been right about you," he said solemnly.

"Your dad isn't right about anything, Kid Muscle!" Roxanne smartly replied, folding her arms. "He's 57 years old, and he still thinks he can attract girls my age! He's ugly, he's rude, he farts too much, and he married your mother!"

"Hey, what's wrong with my mom?"

"What's not wrong with your mom? Because trust me, the list of her faults is pretty damn long! She's vain, selfish, stupid, superficial, obsessed with money-"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"I think you're just jealous!"

"Jealous? Me? Why the hell would I be jealous of your mother, Kid? I would rather die, slowly and painfully, than be married to an idiot like your father!"

"You're jealous because my father married my mother and not yours! You wish he'd married your mom, because then you would be a princess!"

"Marie is not my real mother, you fuckwit!"

"What did you just call me?"

"I said I hate you. I am so glad I didn't marry you. You never could have kept me happy. Because in love, just like in life, you always wet yourself before the fun had even started."

Trixie snorted, turning quickly away, her shoulders shuddering as she tried to contain her laughter.

"You promised you would never tell anyone about that," Kid whispered.

"You promised you would always love me," Roxanne retaliated. "You promised you would stand by me, and you promised you would fight for me. You let me down, Kid. And you broke my heart! And I hate you, Kid Muscle!"

Roxanne ran off, sobbing as she went. Jaeger started after her, but Kid grabbed his elbow, halting his progress.

"Wait, Jaeger, there's something you should know about Roxanne," Kid said solemnly.

"Vot is zhat?" Jaeger asked, taking a step back to stand face-to-face with Kid.

"She's my girl, and if you lay one finger on her, I'll have to kill you," Kid growled.

"Vot?" Jaeger echoed.

"I'm sorry, maybe I should have just said this instead."

Kid swung a fist at Jaeger, hitting him square on the jaw and knocking him to the ground. Trixie and Kiki yelped, both shocked as much by the speed of Kid's action as they were by the fact that he had actually attacked his own friend and fellow Justice Chojin.

"Hey, what's goin' on here?" Meat yelled, helping Jaeger up.

"Nothing," Kid scoffed, marching off, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Hey, are you okay there, Jaeger?" Meat asked as Jaeger regained his footing.

"Fine," Jaeger lied, dragging the back of his hand across his bloodied lip.

"So what was that really about?" Meat asked, looking around Jaeger and the girls.

"Roxanne," Trixie explained.

"I should have guessed," Meat grumbled. "Well that does it. As soon as the tournament starts, I'm reinstating my ban. No girls. For any of you!"

Trixie and Kiki raised their eyebrows questioningly at Meat as he waved his finger at Jaeger and then each of them; but Meat appeared to be too wrapped up in his preparations for the pending Chojin Crown to notice he was addressing two non-Chojins with his speech.

"I'd better go after Kid," Meat said with a sigh. "You boys behave while I'm gone!"

The others watched Meat as he left, hurrying off in the direction Kid was heading.

"He really doesn't get out much, huh?" Kiki muttered.

"Jaeger?" Trixie said softly, touching a hand to Jaeger's shoulder.

"Ja?" he responded, turning to face her.

"Do me a favour?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyelids at him.

"Ja?" he said, looking suddenly more interested in what she had to say.

"Stay the hell away from Roxanne!" Trixie screamed, before raising her knee sharply.

Kiki clapped both hands over her open mouth as Jaeger groaned, doubling over and grabbing at his crotch. Trixie turned to Kiki, smiling until she caught the horrified expression on her friend's face.

"What? I had to do it!" she defended herself. "At least this way, we know he won't be getting up to any hanky panky with Roxanne... Or with anyone, for that matter…"

Trixie touched a finger to her chin thoughtfully as she watched Jaeger writhe in pain. She remained that way for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders.

"C'mon, let's go watch these big, tough "warriors" play Rock, Paper, Scissors…" she said sarcastically, grabbing Kiki's hair and dragging her on.

Kiki yelped in protest, but Trixie continued on her way, distracted by her own thoughts.

"Roxanne is gonna marry Kid Muscle," she muttered to herself. "And I'm gonna make sure it definitely happens…"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** The first round of the Ikeman Chojin Crown commences as our favourite Chojins participate in the Rock, Paper, Scissors and Ha, Made You Look! challenges. Kiki hears something very unusual. **Chapter 6 – Made You Look**. 


	7. Made You Look

**A/N:** Contrary to what this chapter may seem to suggest, Kevin Mask is by no means the bad guy in this story, nor do I intend to bash him by any other means than through Kiki; bear in mind, she still hates him for hiding what he knew about Mars, and so her animosity is justified. 

Nick Hasler is a figment of my imagination. He is the result of a merger of 2 attractive blonde men I know (Nick Horne and Tom Hasler). I imagine Kevin Mask to look something like the combination of these 2, and Nick is more of a boyband name than Tom, hence why I used the combination Nick Hasler.

And again, I've swapped around some of the pairings for the Chojin Crown challenges.

**Recap:** Poor Jaeger got caught up in the confusing relationship between Roxanne and Kid Muscle, causing more tension between Kid and Jaeger.

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Made You Look**

Kiki pressed her back against the wall, looking around the vast hall. Although there were few others present, Kiki needed to be absolutely certain that Trixie was not one of them before she could allow herself to fully relax.

After checking every face meticulously three times each, Kiki let out a long sigh, relaxing her shoulders. She suddenly became aware that she had knotted all the muscles across her left shoulder in her anxiety. Rubbing her right hand at the pain, Kiki stepped away from the wall, her eyes moving to the gift shop a short distance down the hall.

Smiling to herself, Kiki gave one last rub at her shoulder, and then started towards the shop. The girls had always mocked her for buying programmes at the IWF events, and as such, she had stopped the habit many years ago. But, she told herself, neither Roxanne or Trixie were present, and as such, she was free to purchase a programme without suffering their accusations of succumbing to the McMadd's rip-off tactics.

Kiki entered the gift shop, looking around herself with a smile as she was suddenly overcome with a feeling of nostalgia. Walking past rubber Kid Muscle masks, scarlet headbands with gazelle horns and green helmets monogrammed with the letter J, Kiki soon found what she sought.

"Wow!" she said aloud, picking up the programme with both hands.

She held it up, looking directly at the spine; for an IWF programme, it certainly was thick. Even though the 12 places in the tournament were far from decided, the programme was already the thickness of a small novel; and the size of a standard magazine. Kiki defied even Roxanne and Trixie to accuse the McMadds of producing another rip-off souvenir, since the size of the programme made it more than worth its price.

"Would you like anything else, ma'am?" the girl at the counter asked Kiki as she placed the programme down to pay for it.

"Oh, no thanks," Kiki replied politely.

"We have a special on Kevin Mask keychains!" the assistant tried, dangling a brightly-coloured rubber object in front of Kiki's eyes.

Kiki glowered at the miniature replica of the most popular Chojin in the tournament. The model had been badly painted, leading Kiki to believe that that was the real reason it was on special offer; Kevin's yellow eyes were smeared over most of his masked face, and his pink T-shirt seemed to cover half of one of his legs.

"I hate Kevin Mask," Kiki said darkly, as she stared at the keychain.

"You hate Kevin Mask?" the girl gasped, grabbing the model back and clutching it to her chest. "Are you crazy? Nobody hates Kevvy! He's the best! And he's so gorgeous!"

"Gorgeous?" Kiki spat. "He wears a huge iron mask! No-one has ever seen his face! How can he be gorgeous?"

"I've seen his face!" the girl replied, grabbing up an open magazine from behind the counter. "Here, look!"

Kiki looked down, her nose scrunching up as she realised she was looking at a tacky magazine aimed at pre-teenage girls. The page she was looking at showed Kevin Mask's body with another man's face superimposed over his mask.

"Isn't that Nick from that boy band?" Kiki asked, jabbing a finger at the computer-enhanced face.

"What?" the girl yelped, spinning the magazine around to study it for herself. "Oh my God, you're right!"

"See, it's all just a cheap trick to sell more magazines…" Kiki grumbled, holding out a note to pay for her programme.

"Sally!" the girl yelled through to the back of the shop. "Kevin Mask looks just like Nick Hasler! Like, they could be twins!"

Kiki growled, thumping a fist onto the counter in frustration. The assistant ignored her action, waiting as her friend Sally came running through to look at the magazine for herself.

"Oh my God, he so totally looks like Nick Hasler!" Sally squealed. "Oh my God, maybe they really are twins!"

"But which one would you chose?" the first girl asked Sally.

"Oh my God, I don't know!"

"A tough decision, indeed," Kiki said sarcastically. "But I really only came here to buy this programme, so if you could just-"

"She doesn't like Kevin Mask," the first girl whispered to Sally, taking Kiki's money from her and processing the sale.

"Lesbian," Sally whispered to her friend.

They both nodded as the assistant put Kiki's programme into a bag and then handed her her change.

"Whatever!" Kiki groaned, grabbing up her bag and storming out of the shop.

Kiki grumbled and moaned to herself about the agonies of ignorance, snarling in an even bigger fit of anger as she was forced to join an unreasonably long queue at the snack stand.

"At least I've got something to read," she muttered to herself, pulling out her programme. "Something that isn't a stupid girly magazine about… Kevin Mask!"

Kiki roared out the British knight's name as she noticed for the first time that his figure filled the front cover of the programme. The rest of the queue began to scream and gasp, looking around to see where Kevin was. Noticing their excitement, an evil grin crept onto Kiki's face.

"That way!" she yelled, pointing back towards the gift shop. "He was buying a Kid Muscle T-shirt!"

Kiki watched in amusement as everyone preceding her in the queue ran off, in a giant stampede, to the gift shop. Kiki happily walked up to the snack stand, unable to contain her grin of sheer delight.

"Three regular burgers and three large diet Cokes, please!" she chirped.

"No problem, but you might have to wait for the burgers," the man behind the stand replied.

"Oh," Kiki said, frowning at the fryer.

"Your little cry of wolf made my assistant fryer run off with the others," he explained.

"Does she fancy him too?" Kiki asked, rolling her eyes.

"No," the man frankly replied. "He fancies him."

"He? Pff, why am I even pretending to be surprised? My friend Trixie tells me Kevin Mask is so hot, he's enough to turn any straight man gay."

"I guess she must be right. My son had a girlfriend before we started working here."

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

Kiki slowly nodded her understanding, opening up her programme to skim through it while she waited for her order.

The first 15 pages were filled with images of Kevin Mask; it seemed that, even though he was not an official employee of the IWF, or even a member of the Muscle League, Kevin was still the McMadd's favourite. After the lengthy information about Robin Mask's eldest son, there followed a section on Jaeger, which was almost as long, then another long section on Checkmate. Next was Terry, then Dik Dik, then Wally, and finally Kid Muscle – who only got two pages dedicated to his profile.

Kiki sighed, flicking onwards, wondering what else the McMadds had thought to fill the programme with. After a history of the tournament, there was another lengthy section on Ikeman, and why he had renamed the tournament. Kiki began to regret buying the programme in the first place; but the next section made her stop as it caught her interest.

It began with a picture of Kid Muscle fighting Dial Bolic. Kiki began to smile as she thought back to Kid's debut match in the IWF.

"We should have just gone to see a movie," Trixie had said.

"We probably still can," Roxanne had said back.

Kiki smiled, closing her eyes as she relived the match in her mind. Although Kid's battle with Dial Bolic had been less than spectacular, it had marked a new era in the lives of Kiki, Roxanne and Trixie, and Kiki always saw it as a turning point in her life.

Looking down at the programme again, Kiki turned the page, seeing a picture of Wally's defeat at the hands of The Pumpinator, and Kid walking towards the ring with Wally's bloodied scarf tied around his head.

On the next page, the pictures were all of Kid fighting The Pumpinator. Kiki smiled fondly, turning the page again to see Sunshine with his Nightmares headlining the next section.

"Your order," the man at the stand said.

"Oh, thanks," Kiki said, handing him some money.

"Enjoy the show."

"Thanks, I will."

Kiki slipped her programme back into her bag and picked up her tray, heading off towards the stands.

Finding the girls was going to be a little more of a challenge than it had been at previous IWF events, since they had been unable to get front row tickets. Kiki walked out into the stands, stopping short, her eyes widening as she saw just how large the stadium actually was. Kiki stood for a moment, gaping at her surroundings, until a familiar sound scraped at her ears.

"Hoi, Kiki!" Trixie screeched, from somewhere above her head. "Up here!"

Kiki turned to see Trixie and Roxanne waving down at her from seats quite near the very back of the stadium. Again, Kiki silently wondered if it was even worth going to the event if their seats were so far away from the action; but, she consoled herself, hopefully her programme would keep her up to date with the progress of their friends during the tournament.

"Thanks Kiki," Roxanne said as Kiki joined them.

"You got back quick," Trixie mused, helping herself to a burger and a drink. "The queue at the snack stand went all the way down past the gift shop, earlier!"

"I guess I was just lucky," Kiki replied with a smile, before sitting down next to Roxanne.

Trixie and Roxanne continued talking about something Kiki could not follow, and so she retrieved her programme once more, flicking through the pages to the section she had been looking through back at the snack stand.

The Terry versus Tyrannoclaw match followed, bringing a smile to Kiki's face; she had almost forgotten about Kid Muscle's disastrous turn as a referee for that match. And of course, the next few pages concerned the battle between Kid Muscle and Checkmate, with the focus mainly being on Checkmate, the obvious recent fan favourite of the two.

Kiki sighed as the memories of Kid's early days in the IWF came flooding back to her. Turning the page again, it took a few moments for her mind to register what the double-page spread in front of her actually meant. It showed Kid, Terry, Dik Dik and Wally all poised for action, facing four men in identical clothing and masks. The four mystery men all had on beige T-shirts, bearing the logo "Generation X".

Kiki slowly turned the page, her eyes instantly falling onto a picture of Mars in his early disguise as Eskara. Turning through the following pages, Kiki watched as Mars's disguise was revealed, and eventually as his true identity and allegiance were revealed during the final bout of the tournament. Kiki paused at the last two pages, staring down at the final scenes of Kid's victory over Mars.

"Kiki, what did you have to go and buy that thing for, huh?" Roxanne asked, closing the programme over to hide Mars's face from Kiki's eyes.

"I thought it was about the Chojin Crown," Kiki monotonously replied.

"Kiki, you're not still blaming yourself for what happened to Mars, are you?" Roxanne asked her quietly.

Kiki slowly shook her head; but deep down inside, no was not the answer she meant.

"Cheer up, Kiki!" Roxanne tried, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Look, it's Kevin Mask!"

Kiki groaned inwardly, raising her eyes to see Kevin Mask approaching the stage. His opponent for the challenge was Dik Dik Van Dik; which made Kiki a little more interested in what would happen next. Only one of the two would advance to the next round, the other would be forced out of the tournament there and then.

"Go Dik Dik Van Dik!" Kiki yelled, punching a fist into the air.

Roxanne and Trixie glared at Kiki in shock, but she did not notice their gesture. Kiki sat forwards, watching intently as Kevin and Dik Dik began with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. She tensed as she watched them slowly shake their fists, praying with all her might that Dik Dik won. Although she had no real reason to hate Kevin, other than for his withholding his prior knowledge of Mars from her, Kiki wanted nothing more than to see him lose. She did not even care who it was that he lost to.

Kevin chose scissors, and Dik Dik chose paper.

"And the winner of the first round is, Kevin Mask!" an official announced over the tannoy.

"Damn!" Kiki cursed, her voice louder than she had meant it to be.

She shuffled further forwards in her seat, her brow furrowing as she tried to will Dik Dik on to a win with her mind. The next challenge was the "Ha, Made You Look!" challenge; surely a man of Dik Dik's intelligence could win such a match of wits?

Dik Dik tried to distract Kevin by shouting something about Jacqueline McMadd; but Kevin remained motionless, staring at Dik Dik. There was a pause before it was announced that Kevin had successfully passed his challenge, and it was now his turn to create a diversion to distract Dik Dik. Kevin took a step towards Dik Dik, and then stopped suddenly.

The audience quietened slightly, as Kevin appeared to be looking at something above and behind Dik Dik, his body language speaking volumes about his shock.

"Get on with it, man!" Dik Dik snorted, folding his arms and raising his chin defiantly.

"Dear God," Kevin gasped, taking a step back. "I don't believe it. I just do not believe it!"

"What?" Dik Dik drawled.

"Mars is a contestant in the Chojin Crown!" Kevin declared, pointing over Dik Dik's shoulder.

"What?!" Dik Dik wailed, spinning around to have a look for himself.

"And Kevin Mask wins the second round, which means Kevin Mask is the winner, and he will advance to the next round of the Ikeman Chojin Crown!" the official announced.

Dik Dik groaned, dropping to his knees and burying his face in his hands to hide the shame of his defeat.

"Yay, Kevin!" Roxanne and Trixie cheered.

Kiki narrowed her eyes, wondering why Kevin was still looking in the direction he had tried to make Dik Dik look. She looked over at the back section of the stadium, the section he appeared to be so fixated with, studying every inch of the stands and the faces of every visible competing Chojin warrior; but she could not see what it was that held Kevin's attention so.

When Kiki turned her head back to face the stage, she saw that Kevin had begun to walk away, and Dik Dik was being escorted down from the stage by a group of IWF officials, begging and pleading for another chance as he went. As the cheer for Kevin's victory subsided, Roxanne and Trixie began to speculate about whether or not Kevin actually did look like Nick Hasler underneath his iron helmet; but their voices faded in Kiki's ears as she felt an unusual, though not unfamiliar, chill creep over her skin.

Sitting up straight, Kiki glanced around herself, wondering what had inspired the odd sensation; but as more and more of the spectators quietened, Kiki quickly became aware of just what it was.

Kiki paused, her knuckles turning white as she gripped onto her programme. Her heart began to thud against her ribcage. Surely it was just her imagination? Or perhaps it was just a coincidence? At the Poison Six Pack challenge, everyone had agreed that Dik Dik had the ability to make people laugh, so it was not really unusual for someone to be laughing at what had just transpired on the stage.

But that laugh was so distinctive. Kiki moved her eyes to her right, the same direction Kevin had been looking, and the seeming source of the laughter, her breath coming in shuddering gasps as she tried to find his face in the sea of people. It had to be him. It explained Kevin's choice of distraction, and it explained why he was laughing so much at Dik Dik's reaction.

But, despite extensively searching for his face, Kiki could not see Mars. The laugh began to fade, and another cheer erupted across the stadium as Wally Tusket won his challenge to advance to the second round.

"Weird…" she whispered, shaking her head.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Terry is forced to make a difficult moral decision in the second round of the Chojin Crown. Kiki sees something unusual. **Chapter 7 – Is it a Bird?**


	8. Is it a Bird?

**A/N:** Okay, I will slow down with the updates now, as this chapter pretty much sets up the story. And I'm now catching up with myself again. That was a bit insane there, I know!

**Recap: **The six Muscle Leaguers and Kevin Mask all made it through the first round, except for Dik Dik Van Dik, who was defeated by Kevin Mask's clever deception. Kiki thought she heard Mars.

**

* * *

Chapter 7 – Is it a Bird?**

Kiki trailed behind Roxanne and Trixie as they headed down to the beach for the second round challenge of the Chojin Crown. She had lost all interest in watching the ridiculous competitions; the latest one was some sort of short dash to save a falling person from hitting a beanbag, which apparently had to be held on a beach.

The challenges, Kiki silently thought to herself as she passed yet another poster of Ikeman's grinning face, were getting as ridiculous as the man running the tournament.

Kiki reminded herself, yet again, that the whole point of the tournament was to reunite Kid and Roxanne, and to hopefully convince King Muscle that Roxanne was a worthy wife for his son; but it was getting harder and harder to maintain her focus. Kiki had tried her best to keep away from the IWF and out of the business of the Muscle League Chojins since Kid's match against Mars three years ago; her involvement in the Poison Six Pack challenge had been unavoidable, and her involvement in the Gruesome Threesome challenge had been tolerable only because the whole event had only lasted a matter of days.

But this, this Ikeman Chojin Crown, set to span over several weeks, this was too much. Kiki sighed slowly, slowing her pace further as she watched her friends disappear from her sight altogether. The last thing she needed was another lecture from Roxanne or Trixie. She had managed to convince them that Mars's disappearance and his death no longer bothered her conscious; but it was all a lie. A lie that Kiki found harder and harder to maintain, especially when she was currently immersed in the IWF.

"You look troubled," a voice interrupted her thoughts. "And I think it's more than just my pathetic loss that is worrying you."

Kiki turned to see Dik Dik fall in line at her side, smiling expectantly at her.

"Yeah, sorry about your loss there, Dik Dik," she said, nodding her head. "I was cheering for you. I really, really wanted you to win."

"I rather suspect you only felt that way because of who I was up against…" Dik Dik replied, arching an eyebrow.

"Hopefully he'll fail this next one," Kiki coldly said.

"Are you still angry at him for with-holding what he knew about Mars?"

Kiki did not answer Dik Dik immediately, as she found herself struggling for the right words to say. Dik Dik had never so much as mentioned Mars's name since his disappearance; not even once. To hear him talk about Mars now, all these years later, took her by surprise to say the least.

"He did what he thought was right," Dik Dik added.

"I know that," Kiki quickly answered. "I just… He could have told me. He could have at least tried to warn me, or something…"

"Would you have listened? If he had told you Mars was a member of the DMP, would you have stopped seeing him?"

"I don't know. It's all hearsay now."

"Exactly."

Kiki glanced at Dik Dik, who smiled affectionately at her in return.

"So do you think you can forgive Kevin now?" he asked.

"Maybe," she replied.

"Mars is gone, Kiki," Dik Dik said softly. "You heard what Checkmate said."

"Yeah, I know he's gone, but… It doesn't change what happened."

"What did happen?"

"Well, you know what happened!"

"Do I?"

Kiki frowned up at Dik Dik, beginning to grow suspicious of his sudden interest in her former relationship with Mars.

"I fell in love with him, and I thought he felt the same way about me," Kiki bluntly said. "He asked me to run away with him."

"He asked you to run away with him?" Dik Dik repeated, screwing up his face in disgust. "How could he have been so irresponsible? You would have been killed alongside him!"

"He wouldn't have gone back to the DMP if I had gone with him!"

"Of course he would have! That man is evil!"

"Actually, I think he was just misunderstood."

"Misunderstood! Pff!"

Kiki screwed up her face at Dik Dik, relieved that they had finally reached the seafront, and were almost level with Roxanne and Trixie.

"Would you have gone with him?" Dik Dik asked her, stopping before they reached the other girls.

Kiki stopped a few steps ahead of him, turning to look back at him. She slowly shook her head, forcing a smile.

"I chose this," she said. "I chose college, the Muscle League and my friends."

"Do you regret your decision?" Dik Dik asked.

"Almost."

"Almost?"

"I would regret it if Mars had waited for me. He asked me to meet him before noon, but when I went to meet him, he had left without me. If he had waited, and I had been made to tell him that I was packing my bags to go to college, and not to run away with him, then yeah, I would feel regret now. But he left without even saying goodbye to me. He stood me up. And that's all I have to remember him by."

Dik Dik nodded slowly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Deciding she really could not bear to discuss Mars with Dik Dik any longer, Kiki turned her back on him, and joined her friends.

"Half the contestants have already completed this trial," Trixie greeted her. "Wally got knocked out, but Kid and Checkmate made it through. Terry and Jaeger are up next. They're competing against each other."

"What about Kevin Mask?" Kiki asked, folding her arms.

"Kevin made it through," Roxanne said, smiling at Kiki. "Sorry, Kiki!"

"No problem," Kiki sighed. "With Checkmate and Kid both through, one of them will beat him!"

"Hey you guys, they're about to start!" Roxanne said, pointing out at the start line of the race.

The girls turned to watch as Jaeger, Terry and a wrestler they did not recognise all lined up at the starting line. Terry courteously shook Jaeger's hand, and the two nodded at each other.

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Roxanne cooed.

"Yeah, I bet Jaeger will regret being so nice when Terry beats him to the finish line," Trixie said casually, eying her fingernails.

"Huh?" Roxanne echoed, rounding on Trixie. "No way is Terry gonna beat Jaeger!"

Trixie slowly lowered her hand, raising her eyes to Roxanne.

"Terry is the fastest of the two, Jaeger doesn't stand a chance!" Trixie frankly pointed out.

"Jaeger is the superior wrestler," Roxanne retaliated.

"Hey you guys, what happened to the oath?" Kiki asked, smiling at each of her friends in turn.

"Screw the oath!" Roxanne and Trixie said in unison.

Kiki gasped, glancing back and forth between her friends as they glowered menacingly at each other.

"Guys, you're missing the race!" Kiki interrupted them, pointing beyond them.

Roxanne and Trixie spun around, watching with rapt fervour as Terry and Jaeger ran towards the finish line, level with each other the whole way. The girls were watching their respective favourites so intently, they both screamed in shock when two sand pillars shot up, knocking both Terry and Jaeger to the ground.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Roxanne screamed.

"You son of a bitch!" Trixie yelled at the third competitor.

Kiki rolled her eyes, smiling at Dik Dik as he joined her by her side.

"At times like this, I understand why Meat bans us from seeing girls during any major competitions," Dik Dik dryly remarked.

Kiki laughed, turning back to watch the race. Terry and Jaeger launched a dual attack on their third opponent, knocking him out of the race. The two then continued on, again running level with each other. Terry tucked his head down, and began to slowly gain ground over Jaeger, who tried in vain to catch up.

But as Terry ran, he appeared to be frequently glancing away from the goal at something else.

"What is Terry doing?" Trixie muttered, noticing his distraction.

"She's all yours, Jaeger!" Terry called to Jaeger, giving him a thumbs up before detouring off the running track and heading towards the ocean.

"What the hell are you doing, Terry?" Trixie yelled. "The finish line is that way!"

"Go, Jaeger!" Roxanne squealed, as Jaeger continued towards the finish line.

Jaeger caught the falling damsel, winning the contest and securing himself a place in the next round. As the audience cheered his victory, Trixie, Kiki and Dik Dik squinted out to sea in an attempt to find an explanation for Terry's sudden forfeiting of a contest he had seemed certain to win.

"Terry was saving that little boy from drowning!" Dik Dik declared, pointing towards the water.

The others watched as Terry waded through the surf, a young boy cradled in his arms.

"Wow, he is so cool!" Trixie said with a sigh. "You're the real hero Terry, I love you!" she shouted to him.

Jaeger turned towards Terry, watching as he returned the boy to his mother, who showered Terry with a stream of unrelenting thanks. Jaeger jogged over to Terry, touching a hand to his shoulder; but Terry shrugged his shoulders, forcing Jaeger's hand off. Jaeger stood back, watching as Terry trudged off, his head hung low.

"Poor Terry!" Roxanne said.

"He did the honourable thing," Dik Dik said solemnly.

"He's such a great guy…" Trixie said dreamily.

"Well guys, the rest of the contestants are wrestlers we've never even heard of before," Roxanne said to the others. "And I don't know about you guys, but I could really go for some Chinese right about now. Who's with me?"

"Oh, count me in, definitely!" Trixie said with a smile.

"Yeah, food sounds good," Kiki agreed.

"And I shall join you too," Dik Dik said. "Just so long as they have something vegetarian on the menu."

"Oh I'm sure they will," Roxanne assured Dik Dik.

Roxanne and Dik Dik began to walk off together, discussing their meal options as they went. Trixie and Kiki started walking together, and shortly found themselves being joined by Checkmate.

"Didst I hear someone mention food?" he asked them.

"Yeah, we're going to get some Chinese," Trixie answered, nodding her head. "Do you wanna come with us?"

"It wouldst be my honour, fair lady," Checkmate politely replied.

Trixie smiled up at Checkmate, looping her arm through his. Kiki stopped, watching the others walk on without her. She briefly wondered where Kid Muscle was, and if he and Jaeger had managed to keep from fighting with each other following their earlier altercation; but Kiki's flow of thoughts were brought abruptly to an end as an odd rush of butterflies swept through her body.

Frowning and clasping a hand at her chest, Kiki began to cautiously glance around herself, wondering what the source of her feelings could be. When she saw nothing, she straightened her back, and started to walk after the others; but the feeling came again, only this time it was much stronger.

Kiki spun around, her eyes immediately landing on a congregation of Chojins by a rock formation at the water's edge. She squinted over at them, but none of them looked even remotely familiar. Kiki began to believe she had just imagined the odd sensation, and turned back to her friends.

Kiki froze. It was not possible. There was no way it could be possible. Surely she had not just seen what she thought she had. Kiki spun around again to confirm her suspicions, screaming as she found herself face to face with a mass of brown fur.

"Well hey there, Kiki!" Wally greeted her.

"Wally!" Kiki wailed, gasping as her heart thudded in her chest.

"Gee, Kiki, I don't usually have this effect on women…" Wally muttered.

"I thought I saw…"

Kiki stretched onto her toes, craning her neck to look over Wally's shoulder. Looking back at the point she had fist noticed it, Kiki could confirm that it had just been a figment of her imagination; an illusion against the water, perhaps.

"I thought I saw someone I knew," she said quietly, lowering herself onto the flats of her feet. "We're all going for something to eat, do you wanna join us, Wally?"

"Well sure!" Wally agreed, grinning brightly.

Kiki and Wally then set off together, following after the others. As they neared the path leading up the sand dunes, Kiki looked over her shoulder one last time, just to be absolutely certain she had not seen what she thought she had. But that final backward glance told Kiki there was indeed nothing there.

Kiki cursed herself inwardly. It was bad enough that she had thought she had heard Mars, but to actually see him was just insane. And yet she could have sworn she had spotted the back of his head, with his distinctive, peaked headdress, standing amidst the competing Chojin warriors.

But of course, that was impossible. Mars was dead. Checkmate had confirmed that years ago. And even if Mars was alive, he had never shown his face before, why would he surface now?

_To compete in the Ikeman Chojin Crown_, Kiki told herself.

It did seem to make sense that, were Mars still alive, he would choose an event such as the Ikeman Chojin Crown to return to the IWF. Vance McMadd had honoured Mars as a Muscle Leaguer and a wrestler on the IWF roster, and so it was not a totally ridiculous notion that he should be competing in the tournament.

But if Mars were in the tournament, surely one of the other Muscle Leaguers would have noticed his presence before and said something to the others?

And, Kiki silently reminded herself, Mars's headdress had been destroyed, along with the Mask of Madness, according to Checkmate. Therefore if Mars were to return, he would surely be sporting a whole new look.

"Crazy…" Kiki muttered under her breath. "It would just be crazy…"

"What was that?" Wally asked her.

"Oh, nothing!" Kiki said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just me losing the plot…"

Wally slowly nodded his head, but he looked less than convinced by Kiki's attempt at reassurance.

* * *

**Next Chapter** – Dik Dik visits an unusual establishment to attempt a negotiation with one of the competitors in the Ikeman Chojin Crown. **Chapter 8 – Give it up**. 


	9. Give it up

**A/N:** Writing this fic has been a lot harder than the previous two instalments were. In the first instalment, I was sticking more or less exactly to the episodes as they played out on TV, so most of the chapters flowed. However I created a deviated universe that has now made things very different. I am trying to retain as much of the original episodes in this fic as I can, but I hope my readers will understand that it has been necessary to cut out certain scenes/episodes/characters for this fic to make sense. I hope I haven't disappointed anyone; I have tried to keep in all the best bits and characters from the series.

**Recap:** Jaeger beat Terry to advance to the next round of the Ikeman Chojin Crown. Kiki thought she saw Mars.

**

* * *

****Chapter 8 – Give it up**

Dik Dik flicked the collar of his trenchcoat upwards, concealing his face from the view of any passers-by. He pressed a hand down onto the large fedora he wore, pushing it further down onto his head, obscuring his remaining visible features beneath the shadow of its brim.

Dik Dik inhaled sharply through his nostrils as one of his booted feet crunched down onto a broken glass bottle, smashing it to smithereens in the process. He was glad when he finally sighted the giant blue neon sign ahead of himself, quickening his pace to reach his destination as fast as he could without arousing the suspicion of any potential media personnel or wrestling fans.

Dik Dik stopped a short distance from the giant sign, with its flashing downwards arrow, stealthily glancing around the deserted streets to ensure he was alone and that he was not being watched by anyone. Once he was confident that it was safe to do so, Dik Dik hurried towards the sign, turning and descending the blackened staircase that lead into the dark and dingy basement nightclub.

As he had suspected, Dik Dik's disguise made him even more conspicuous as he entered the club; but he could not risk showing his face, for the fear of being recognised by any of his friends or fans. Dik Dik slowly walked along the front of the bar, looking around the shadowy recesses of the poorly lit club for any signs of the one person he sought.

Dik Dik stopped short, his eyes widening as he sighted one very recognisable person at the front of the stage. The three strippers performing on the stage seemed as oblivious to his presence as everyone else in the room was by that point; but Dik Dik could not stop himself from staring at the darkened figure of Kevin Mask, sat immediately in front of one side of the stage.

Kevin was sitting back in his chair, his arms folded, and his long coat removed and thrown over a nearby chair. Sitting next to Kevin was another masked man, someone Dik Dik had never seen before in his life. Both men were silent, and both were watching the display on the stage with an air of disinterest.

"Hey Van Dik!" a voice shouted from the opposite side of the room.

Dik Dik turned away from Kevin and his friend, finding a lone figure hunched over a table by the far wall, his form shrouded by a deep red, hooded robe. Clenching his fists and setting his jaw in determination, Dik Dik set off towards the table, scowling at the person who awaited his arrival.

"I know you think yourself a funny man, but was that ridiculous disguise really necessary?" Dik Dik said coldly as he sat down opposite the man.

"Look who's talkin'," the man quietly replied, his voice muffled by the overly large hood of his robe, which hung over his face.

Dik Dik looked down at himself, before nervously tugging at the brim of his hat.

"Unlike you, I can't afford to be seen in a place such as this," Dik Dik said indignantly. "I have a reputation as a clean-living, upstanding representative of the Muscle League to maintain."

"So why come here?"

"Because I know no-one will look for me here."

"Okay. So what do you want from me, Van Dik?"

"I want you to go."

"I only just got here, what are you talkin' about?"

"I mean I want you to leave. Now. I want you to forfeit your place in the Chojin Crown."

Dik Dik tightened his fists at his sides as the man sat back, any other responses he was having hidden from Dik Dik's view beneath the generous folds of his excessive robe.

"I can make it worth your while," Dik Dik added quietly.

The man sat forwards again, his forearms thumping down onto the table as he leaned over it towards Dik Dik.

"I'm listenin'…" he said quietly.

"I can give you money," Dik Dik continued. "Just name your price."

"Sorry, Van Dik, but I ain't for sale."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want to win."

"You don't stand a chance of winning."

"Why not? Who's gonna stop me? Kid Muscle?"

"Amongst others, yes."

The man's arms slowly slid from the table surface as he sat back into his chair, laughing openly at Dik Dik. Dik Dik fidgeted nervously, glancing around the room again, narrowing his eyes briefly at Kevin Mask and his associate as he once again spotted them in their prominent place by the stage.

"I was kinda lookin' forward to takin' you on at some point, Van Dik," the man said once he had finished laughing. "But I guess curiosity spoiled your chances of facin' me."

"I am a Dik Dik," Dik Dik solemnly replied, shifting his eyes back to the enrobed man sat opposite him. "I am a naturally curious creature."

"Naturally gullible, more like," the man grunted. "Only an idiot would honestly believe a hat could hide your horns…"

Dik Dik frowned, touching his hands to his horns, which had pierced through his hat, standing erect as ever at either side of his head.

"Look, you're just wastin' time here for both of us," the man said, his voice sterner. "I ain't backin' out. I'm gonna win. I have to win."

"You're making a big mistake!" Dik Dik insisted, standing up abruptly.

"I made a big mistake comin' here tonight," the man darkly replied, standing up slowly.

Dik Dik watched as the man slowly stretched up to his fullest height, standing almost eight inches taller than Dik Dik.

"Good night, Van Dik," he said, turning his back on Dik Dik.

"Wait!" Dik Dik barked, reaching out a hand after the stranger. "Is there really nothing I can do to convince you not to compete in the Chojin Crown?"

The man stopped, his robe swinging at his legs for a moment before coming to rest. He stood so perfectly still, Dik Dik began to grow nervous, gulping over a lump that had suddenly formed in his already tight throat.

"Some people are fightin' for honour, some are fightin' for glory, some are fightin' to represent, some are fightin' for love," the man said slowly. "Just like everyone else, I've got my reasons for bein' here. Losing ain't an option for me, Van Dik."

"I understand," Dik Dik growled. "Kid Muscle, Jaeger and Checkmate are fighting for honour, but you are fighting for something different."

When the man did not respond to Dik Dik's words, he found the courage to continue.

"Are you here to "represent"?" Dik Dik asked, his voice low and laced with menace.

"Maybe," the man answered, his voice equally as low and threatening.

"So tell me, how are those fiends at the DMP thesedays?"

The man spun around, marching up to Dik Dik, stopping so close in front of the gazelle that their bodies were almost touching.

"And what would you know about my allegiances, huh?" he hissed.

"Enough to know that you are here on behalf of the DMP!" Dik Dik snarled.

"Wrong again, Van Dik," the man growled, leaning over Dik Dik. "If I was here to represent – which I'm not – I would be here to represent my sparrin' partner. I believe you know him. His name's Buffaloman."

Dik Dik mouthed out the name of the Muscle League Legend, unable to hide his initial shock. The man took a step back from Dik Dik, the motion snapping Dik Dik back to his senses.

"Liar!" Dik Dik yelled. "How dare you try to claim an association with the great Buffaloman?"

"Because it's true," the man plainly replied.

"You dirty liar!"

Dik Dik raised his fists in front of his face, but the man quickly raised both hands, stepping back from him.

"I don't wanna fight," he said.

"Coward!" Dik Dik yelled.

The man halted his retreat, and Dik Dik found himself again wishing he could see the other man's expressions, if only to see if his remark had enraged the stranger.

"I'm not a liar, Van Dik," he said coldly, after a short pause. "But you are…"

"What are you talking about now, man?" Dik Dik demanded, waving one fist at him.

"Why don't you just go back to your wife, huh?"

Dik Dik faltered visibly, lowering his fists as a wave of guilt washed over him. He slowly lowered his eyes to the ground, closing them for a moment as he tried to regain his composure, tried to retain his dignity as best he could

"What's going on here?" a voice demanded. "Who was that man? Where did he go?"

Dik Dik looked up sharply, finding Kevin Mask standing where the robed man had stood only moments ago. A quick survey of the club told Dik Dik that the man he had been conversing with had made a speedy exit, leaving Kevin and his mysterious friend in his wake.

"Who was he?" Kevin demanded, stepping closer to Dik Dik.

"A competitor in the Chojin Crown," Dik Dik calmly replied.

"A competitor in the Chojin Crown?" Kevin's friend echoed, speaking in the clipped tones of a South-East English accent. "Kevin, who is this man?"

"No time to explain, Lord Flash," Kevin said darkly.

The man Kevin had addressed as Lord Flash held out Kevin's coat towards him, and Kevin grabbed it up, marching towards the exit. His friend started after him, but Kevin held up a hand to halt his progress.

"No, Lord Flash," Kevin warned. "I must do this alone."

"Are you sure that is wise, Kevin?" Lord Flash asked.

But Kevin did not answer his friend. Instead he tugged on his coat and threw open the door, hurrying out of the club. Lord Flash slowly turned around to rest his unnaturally green eyes on Dik Dik, who, in turn, moved his eyes to Lord Flash's.

"See what you've done now, you silly boy!" Lord Flash snapped.

"Whuh?" Dik Dik muttered, more than a little taken aback by Lord Flash's outburst.

Lord Flash sighed, shaking his head at Dik Dik before marching towards the door himself. Dik Dik watched the unusual friend of Kevin Mask leave, before sighing in relief that he was finally alone.

"Hey, ain't you that wrestler?" a voice asked him.

Dik Dik turned his head to see a woman in a string bikini slinking up to him.

"Um, no…" he quickly lied, backing towards the door.

"Are you sure?" she pressed, quickening her pace towards him.

"I'm a married man!" Dik Dik wailed, throwing his arms into the air and fleeing from the strip club.

"They all say that eventually," the woman muttered to herself as the door banged shut behind Dik Dik.

**

* * *

****Next Chapter** – The final preliminary contest takes place in the form of a three-legged race. Who will make it into the final 12, and who will fail? **Chapter 9 – A Wing and a Preyer**. – The final preliminary contest takes place in the form of a three-legged race. Who will make it into the final 12, and who will fail? . 


	10. A Wing and a Preyer

**A/N:** I'm not thick. No really, I'm not. I have deliberately misspelt the title of this chapter. Yet again, it's another pathetic pun that hints at the direction this story is heading.

**Recap:** Dik Dik met up with one of the wrestlers competing in the Ikeman Chojin Crown, and tried unsuccessfully to convince the man to back out of the tournament.

**

* * *

Chapter 9 – A Wing and a Preyer**

"Welcome, fight fans, to the third, and final, preliminary contest for the Ikeman Chojin Crown. I am your host, Mac Metaphor, and, as ever, my co-host Doc Nakano is here with me. So Doc, what can you tell the fans about this upcoming contest?"

"Well Mac, this next contest is called the Three Feet Heat. Each of the remaining Chojins in the competition will be paired with a non-Chojin chosen at random, and they will be tied together at the ankle to compete in a three-legged race."

"A three-legged race, Doc?"

"That's right Mac. But not just any three-legged race. This one's got all sorts of courses and obstacles along the way. The first twelve Chojins to cross the finish line with their partners will advance to the Ikeman Chojin Crown first round match-ups."

"And each Chojin is paired with a non-Chojin, Doc?"

"That's right Mac. Ikeman McMadd has already chosen the non-Chojin partners for each Chojin running in this race. We should get our first glimpses of the line-up for the race very soon, Mac."

"Look at that Doc! I can see Jaeger making his way to the start line!"

Jaeger walked slowly to the start line of the Three Feet Heat, one arm hanging at his side, the other draped across the shoulders of his partner, who was tied to him at the ankle.

"I know I can vin vith you as mein partner, Roxanne," he said, smiling down at the girl next to him.

"I sure hope so, Jaeger," Roxanne replied. "I would hate to make you lose."

"You von't make me lose, Roxanne!" Jaeger assured her. "You are my lucky charm!"

"Aw, that is so sweet! You are so cute sometimes!"

Jaeger smiled, lowering his head as his cheeks turned slightly pink at Roxanne's compliment. Before too long, they were joined by Checkmate and his partner; a teenage boy wearing a Checkmate T-shirt.

"Good luck, Jaeger," Checkmate said politely.

"Good luck, Checkmate!" Jaeger replied. "I hope to see you in ze finals!"

Checkmate nodded his agreement. As the other teams joined the line-up, the bustle of bodies and voices began to create a lot of noise; but not so much noise that the protests of one whinging prince could not be heard by all.

"It's not fair!" Kid wailed. "Why did I have to get partnered with this guy? He's fat and old and slow! You did this deliberately, to make me lose!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Kid Muscle!" Ikeman McMadd argued back. "Your partner was chosen the same way everyone else's was! We drew his name randomly from a hat!"

"But it's not fair!" Kid yelled, as if he had not even heard Ikeman's reply. "Everyone else got a cool partner!"

Kid started along the line of competitors, but stopped short as he sighted Roxanne with Jaeger, dressed in only a pair of running shoes and a dark-coloured bikini.

"Hey!" he shouted, pointing at them. "That's not fair!"

"Give it a rest, Kid Muscle," Roxanne grumbled under her breath. "Jeez, the guy is such an embarrassment!"

"Would all competitors please take their places at the start line!" Ikeman boomed into a microphone. "Ready?"

Ikeman raised a staring pistol above his head, smirking as he saw Kid and his partner try to work together to position themselves on the starting line.

"Go!" Ikeman shouted, firing the pistol.

The contestants all darted off in a mass of bodies, the spectators around them screaming out the names of their respective favourites. On his second step from the start line, Kid tripped over his partner, a man named Sasaki, and the pair fell to the ground.

"No!" Kid wailed, reaching out a hand as he watched the other competitors run ahead of them. "Roxanne!"

But Roxanne could not hear Kid's cries. She and Jaeger were working perfectly as a team, and were already moving ahead of the main group of runners. Before too long, they were ahead of the others by a noticeable margin, with only one pair ahead of them.

Kevin Mask and his partner – who was of sufficient size and build to pass for a Chojin himself – were also working perfectly as a team, sprinting along in perfect harmony together to overcome their handicap of being tied together.

But a rumbling sound and a shuddering akin to an earthquake brought all the contestants to a halt. They all looked up as the road ahead began to rise up, forming an incline so steep, it was almost vertical.

"This is so unfair!" Kid screamed from his position far behind the others.

Once the road had stopped moving, and come to rest in an impossibly steep incline, one adventurous Chojin, who was attached to Trixie, ran onwards, starting up the incline. Trixie tried her hardest to keep up with him as he ran at an inhuman speed in a desperate attempt to ascend the incline on momentum.

The audience gasped into silence as they watched Trixie and her partner pass the halfway mark of the incline. It seemed as though their strategy had worked: it looked as though sheer speed was enough to overcome the force of gravity exerted on them by the impossible angle of the road.

"Trixie!" Roxanne cried, as Trixie and her partner began to slow down, stumbling as the lack of speed caused them to become unbalanced.

The pair stumbled and staggered for a moment, before falling backwards down the length of the incline. Trixie screamed for the entire duration of their descent, her arms flailing at her sides as though she was trying to fly. As they neared the tarred road, her partner reached down and cut their bond, shoving Trixie to one side.

Trixie screamed louder at his action, which caused her to fall at an angle, missing the road below and falling directly into the sea beyond. Her partner was not so fortunate however, as he hit the road hard, before rolling off into the water.

"Trixie!" Roxanne whimpered.

Roxanne began to contemplate cutting herself from Jaeger to tend to her friend, even if such an action would mean costing Jaeger his place in the tournament; but before she could make a decision about what to do, Terry Kenyon appeared out of nowhere, diving into the water and swimming out to Trixie's aid.

"Oh thank God!" Roxanne said, pressing a hand against her chest.

Having watched the failed attempt by Trixie and partner very carefully, Meat quickly deduced which would be the best way to tackle the obstacle that lay ahead of him and his partner.

"Hey Turbinksi," he said, pointing at the incline. "Runnin' straight up like that may be the fastest way up, but the run is too difficult that way. If we run up sideways, crossin' back and forth, the run won't be so hard. It may be a longer route, but the climb won't be so steep that way, since we'll be drawin' out the height over a longer distance. What d'ya say?"

"I say zhis sounds like a good plan," Turbinski agreed. "Let's go!"

Meat and Turbinski took off, running in a zigzag pattern up the incline, managing the climb with relative ease by this method. The other competitors stayed at the bottom, watching to see if this new method would be successful.

As the others watched Meat and Tusbinski, Kid and Sasaki were still trying to catch up with the group, and Roxanne was watching at the water's edge as Terry waded out, carrying Trixie in his arms. Roxanne smiled to herself as she watched her friend cling onto the Texan Chojin, who smiled warmly down at her.

Roxanne began to wonder if Terry and Trixie still had feelings for each other, and if she should offer her help in uniting them; but a sudden cheer from the audience brought her attention back to the race at hand.

"Zhey made it!" Jaeger shouted, pointing up to the top of the incline, where Meat and Turbinski now stood.

Kevin Mask and his partner wasted no time in running after them, mimicking their method of running in a zigzag pattern up the incline.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Roxanne urged her partner. "C'mon, Jaeger!"

"Right!" Jaeger agreed.

Although most of the teams followed Meat and Turbinski's example, running in the zigzag pattern, some tried to run straight up, and some gave up the zigzag method halfway. The teams that did not use Meat's method all failed, falling into the sea, or down to the unforgiving tarmac below.

"Aw, man, this is so unfair!" Kid sobbed, stopped at the foot of the hill and casting his eyes upwards to watch as Kevin Mask cleared the obstacle, followed closely by Jaeger and Roxanne, even Checkmate and his partner. "It's hopeless! I can't even win a stupid race, never mind the Chojin Crown! Now I'll never marry Roxanne!"

"Never fear, my friend, I have a plan," Sasaki assured Kid.

"You do?" Kid whimpered, eying his partner in a mixture of curiosity and fear.

"Yes," Sasaki said firmly, with a nod of his head. "Just hold on tightly, and I will get us through."

"You will? But how-ah!"

Kid screamed in terror as Sasaki leapt up the incline, throwing himself at the road. Kid closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable disaster that would ensue from such a reckless act. Sasaki and Kid landed on the wall-like incline, and Kid's body merely bounced off the tarmac, falling back down towards the ground below.

Kid screamed louder, but stopped short as he felt himself catch by his ankle, leaving him suspended midair. He slowly opened his eyes, first looking down at the horrendous drop to the ground below, and then looking up to see what had saved him. Sasaki was somehow holding onto the surface of the steep road, and the strap that attached Kid's ankle to his was holding Kid up.

"You see, Kid Muscle, the secret is sweat!" Sasaki explained with a faraway smile.

"Sweat?" Kid repeated, unsure if he should be disgusted, shocked or intrigued.

"Yes, Kid Muscle!" Sasaki confirmed. "My sweat is very sticky, and it allows me to adhere to any surface, just like glue!"

"Okay…" Kid said slowly.

"And now we will catch up with the others!"

Kid opened his mouth to ask exactly how Sasaki intended to catch up with the others, but was silenced as Sasaki began to slither up the incline like a snail, dragging Kid along with him. Kid swallowed hard as he found himself feeling suddenly nauseated by the unusual sensation of the climb, and the thought of Sasaki's sticky sweat.

At the top of the incline, Kevin Mask and his partner were rapidly gaining on Meat and Turbinski as they quickly negotiated their way across the next obstacle: a spinning pole spanning the gap the incline had created in the road. Jaeger and Roxanne followed after them, along with several other teams. Some of the Chojins stopped to fight each other off as they reached a bottleneck at the end of the pole, affording Sasaki the opportunity to slither across the pole with Kid still dangling from his ankle.

Kid was glad when they reached the other side, and he was able to get to his feet, no longer being subjected to Sasaki's unusual circus act. And Sasaki ran a little better than he had at the start of the race, managing to keep up a reasonable speed without falling down once. Before long, Kid and Sasaki began to catch up with Checkmate and his partner, soon drawing level with them.

"Kid Muscle!" Checkmate greeted him as they ran adjacent to each other.

"Where's Roxanne?" Kid asked.

"Me thinks she is in third place, with Jaeger," Checkmate answered.

"Are we gonna make it into the tournament?" Kid asked.

"It doesn't seem likely, Kid," Checkmate replied.

"You're not gonna make it?" Checkmate's partner asked. "That's my fault! I'm so sorry!"

"Not to worry, my good friend, perhaps our luck shall change," Checkmate assured his fan.

"It's been such an honour to race with you, Checkmate," the boy insisted. "I'm the president of your fan club!"

"Who's the president of my fan club?" Kid asked anyone who cared to listen.

"You don't have a fan club," Checkmate's partner bluntly informed Kid.

"What?" Kid roared. "But I'm popular too!"

The others stared at Kid silently, but he appeared not to notice them. Kid was watching the road ahead, relieved to find that they were catching up with some of the other competitors. The closest Chojin to them resembled a humanoid gumball machine. He continually glanced over his shoulder as Kid and Checkmate drew ever closer, trying to speed up to avoid them passing him.

"We're catching up, Sasaki!" Kid rejoiced.

"No you're not!" the Chojin ahead yelled, before releasing a wave of blue and white gumballs onto the road.

The teams behind him all slipped on the candies, falling to the ground and losing their positions in the race. Seeing the inevitable danger, Checkmate quickly transformed into his Knight form, galloping over and around the rolling gumballs.

"Smart guy, huh?" the gumball machine yelled at Checkmate. "Well no-one outsmarts Dispenser Man! Let's see if you can avoid this!"

Dispenser Man then shot a barrage of gumballs at Checkmate's head and torso. Checkmate hurriedly ducked and dodged the attack, but unfortunately his partner did not possess Checkmate's speed and cunning. Several of the candy projectiles hit the boy, hurting him badly in the process. He staggered to a halt, falling over at Checkmate's side.

Checkmate quickly returned to his King form, stopping to check on his partner's welfare. A quick assessment of the boy told Checkmate he was badly injured, and continuing the race could be very detrimental to his health. Checkmate ripped off the strap that bound him to his partner, effectively forfeiting his place in the race.

"But Checkmate–" his fan began.

"Don't thou worry thyself," Checkmate interrupted him. "Thou art needs help."

As Checkmate carried his fan off of the racetrack, Dispenser Man began to laugh maniacally.

"Ha!" he yelled to Checkmate. "What d'ya know? I guess nice guys really do finish last!"

"You son of a…" Kid grumbled. "Come on Sasaki, let's get him!"

Together, Kid and Sasaki dove at Dispenser Man, landing on the sea of gumballs, which rolled them onwards in their pursuit of the offending Chojin. Kid and Sasaki crashed into Dispenser Man, knocking him down and off of the racetrack. Confident that he had knocked Dispenser Man out of the race, Kid got to his feet, helping Sasaki up at his side.

Kid and Sasaki then ran after Checkmate, shouting after him.

"We are fine, Kid Muscle!" Checkmate called back to him. "Now go! Thou must continue to win a position in the tournament!"

"Right, okay!" Kid called back, skidding to a halt.

Kid looked first at Sasaki, then at the mass of Chojins running ahead of them and gaining ground. He then turned back to Sasaki, wondering what to do next. Kid then noticed that the gumballs were still rolling along the racetrack freely, giving him an idea.

"Come on, Sasaki!" he said, jumping onto the gumballs.

Together, Kid and Sasaki rolled along on the gumballs, quickly gaining on the group ahead of them. As they neared the group, a deafening roar from the spectators reached them from the finish line.

Kevin Mask and his partner finished first in the race, securing Kevin the first slot in the tournament. Turbinski and Meat crossed the finish line shortly after them, followed closely by Jaeger and Roxanne. As the first three teams moved to the sidelines to untie their bonds, several other teams crossed the finish line behind them, filling up the remaining slots in the tournament.

As Meat turned back to face the racetrack, he noticed that 11 of the 12 slots had been filled; and Kid was nowhere to be seen.

"Kid!" Meat cried, stretching onto his toes as he tried to see through the approaching two groups to see if Kid was amongst them.

"Here he comes!" Jaeger yelled, pointing down the track.

The others watched as Kid and Sasaki rolled along through the other competitors, passing several teams. As the other Chojins noticed Kid's advance, they swiftly kicked the gumballs aside, kicking Kid and Sasaki into the air.

"Oh no…" Roxanne muttered under her breath as she watched Kid and Sasaki fly through the air, looking as though Kid was about to lose his chance to make it into the tournament.

The flying gumballs began to rain around the finish line, several of them ricocheting off the poles of the finish line, shooting them back at the approaching teams. Meat and the others covered their heads with their arms to avoid the onslaught of the deadly candies, their attention drawn away from the race. The first person to move from his protected position was Meat, who quickly turned back to the finish line as the spectators broke into another loud cheer.

Meat sighed with relief, smiling as he saw Kid and Sasaki lying in a crumpled heap over the finish line.

"And the race is over!" the official announced. "All twelve spots have now been decided for the Ikeman Chojin Crown! Don't forget to join us tomorrow, folks, for the Chojin Lotto, where the first round matches will be decided! And don't forget that tonight, the IWF are holding a buffet at the carnival downtown for all the ticket holders for tomorrow's events!"

Meat helped Kid to his feet, congratulating him on his victory. He was soon joined by Kiki, who gave Kid a quick hug.

"Congratulations, Kid!" she said, before hurrying over to Roxanne and Jaeger.

"Kiki!' Roxanne greeted her.

"Hey, Roxanne!" Kiki replied. "Congratulations, Jaeger!"

Kiki gave Jaeger a quick hug, before turning back to Roxanne.

"Did you see what happened to Trixie?" Kiki asked.

"Yeah, I know!" Roxanne agreed. "But at least Terry was there to help her out! So, I helped Jaeger win, who was your partner?"

"Oh, my partner didn't make it through," Kiki replied. "He was hit by one of the gumballs at the end of the race. He was knocked out cold, and I was scared I would get hit too, so I untied myself and ran the rest of the way along the sidelines. So, are Kid and Jaeger the only guys from the Muscle League to make it into the finals?"

"No, there was one more familiar face to qualify."

Roxanne sidestepped to afford Kiki a view of who stood behind her. She giggled as Kiki's faced twisted at what she saw.

"Kevin Mask…" Kiki grumbled.

However Kiki's misery was short-lived, as she spotted another familiar face, one that brought a big smile to her face.

"Marie!" she called, waving a hand at Roxanne's adoptive mother.

"Hi, girls!" Marie called, jogging over to join them. "Wow, what a race!"

"I didn't know you were competing?" Roxanne said, turning to her mother.

"Well, I was asked if I would do it, and I couldn't exactly say no, could I?" Marie replied.

"So Marie, how did you do?" Kiki asked. "Did your partner qualify?"

"Yes, he did!" Marie replied cheerfully. "We finished in sixth place! For some reason, he found that really amusing…"

A puzzled look shadowed Marie's features for a moment as she mused over that thought.

"So who was your partner, mom?" Roxanne asked.

"Oh, I don't know the young man's name, he never told me it," Marie answered, her smile returning as she turned to her daughter. "And I don't think he was one of the Muscle League boys, either."

"He can't have been a member of the Muscle League," Kiki pointed out. "I mean, Only Kid, Jaeger and Checkmate made it into this race, and we know you weren't racing with any of them. Oh, and of course, Kevin Mask was in the race, but I don't know if you could exactly call him a Muscle Leaguer…"

"So what did he look like? The guy you were partnered with?" Roxanne asked.

"Well…" Marie rubbed her chin thoughtfully, rolling her eyes towards the sky as she tried to find the right words to say. "He was very tall."

"They all are, mom," Roxanne dryly replied, sounding more than a little like Trixie.

"And he was dressed in red," Marie continued, oblivious to her daughter's sarcasm.

"And…?" Roxanne pressed.

"He was very polite," Marie said with a smile. "He seemed like a very courteous young man. I rather liked him until he started laughing like a maniac when he was announced as the sixth place finalist."

"A polite and courteous man?" Roxanne echoed. "What, like a ladies' man?"

Kiki and Roxanne laughed at that thought, but Marie still looked deep in thought. Marie slowly turned around in a complete circle, scanning the area around herself for any sign of her partner.

"How strange!" she muttered.

"What's strange, mom?" Roxanne asked her.

"My partner has disappeared," Marie replied. "And he was here just a moment ago… Oh well. I'm sure we'll all see plenty of him during the tournament. He was a very talented man, I think he might even pose a threat to Jaeger, Kevin Mask and Kid Muscle."

"Really?" Kiki asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh yes. So quick to respond to all those obstacles back there," Marie continued. "We would have finished first had it not been for me slowing him down. But he was very patient with me."

"Sounds like you really liked him, mom!" Roxanne said, smiling slyly. "And you can't even remember his name?"

"He never said what his name was," Marie said, shaking her head. "But you will definitely recognise him in the finals. He is very tall, he wears red, he has two very distinctive scars on his face, and he bears an unusual resemblance to some sort of bird of prey."

Kiki stiffened, her mind instantly placing a picture of Marie tied to the ankle of Mars.

"Marie?"

Marie turned around to see Meat approaching her, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"Meat!" she greeted him. "How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks," Meat replied. "You?"

"Y'know Kiki, we should really go find Trixie," Roxanne suggested, turning to Kiki.

Roxanne watched her feet for a moment, waiting for her friend to respond. When Kiki remained silent, Roxanne slowly raised her eyes to Kiki's, alarmed to find that Kiki had turned ghostly white, her eyes were wide and staring, and she was trembling.

Roxanne turned her head in the direction Kiki appeared to be staring, but could not see what could be have such an effect on her friend.

"Kiki?" she said, turning back to Kiki.

But still, Kiki did not respond.

"Kiki!"

Roxanne grabbed Kiki's arm and shook her slightly, snapping her out of her trance.

"Roxanne…" Kiki whispered, moving her eyes to Roxanne. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what, Kiki?" Roxanne asked, frowning in concern for her friend's welfare.

"What Marie said. Did you hear what Marie said?"

"What mom said? What are you talking about?"

"Her partner in the race. Didn't he sound… Familiar to you at all?"

Roxanne thought about it for a moment, and then shrugged her shoulders when she failed to come to any conclusion on the matter.

"Nope," she said. "He certainly didn't sound like anyone I know. He didn't even sound anyone I've ever known before. But like mom said, we'll see him in the tournament, right?"

"It's just that I thought that maybe…"

"You thought that maybe what?"

Kiki searched Roxanne's features for a moment, wondering if she should confess exactly what she did think on the matter.

"Kiki, are you alright?" Roxanne pressed.

"I thought that she was talking about Mars," Kiki quietly answered.

"Mars?" Roxanne repeated loudly.

Roxanne looked up over Kiki's head for a moment as she saw Kevin Mask spin around to look at her, his glowing yellow eyes thinned. He watched her for a moment, before snatching something from his race partner, then marching off.

"Kiki, Mars is dead," Roxanne said slowly, looking down at her friend again. "Remember? Checkmate saw the whole thing. The DMP killed him. Kiki, you're not still holding onto some crazy notion that he might have somehow survived, are you? Because even if he did survive the DMP, he wouldn't ever come back to the Muscle League! You have to stop cutting yourself up over this, Kiki! Just let go!"

Kiki slowly nodded her head.

"You're right, Roxanne," she said, trying to sound as though she meant it. "It's a crazy notion."

"Come on, let's go find Trixie, yeah?" Roxanne offered. "I think the distraction would do you good right now…"

"Yeah, a distraction would be good."

Kiki followed after Roxanne as she walked away from the racetrack, unable to stop herself from stealing glances around the Chojins still milling around the finish line. Although Kiki did not see Mars, she did not see anyone who fitted Marie's description of her partner, either.

"Just let go…" she muttered to herself, shaking her head.

**

* * *

Next Chapter: The McMadds hold a celebration for the pending tournament. Tensions are running high as friends find themselves in conflict with each other over the upcoming events. ****Chapter 10 – All is Fair in Love and Wrestling**. The McMadds hold a celebration for the pending tournament. Tensions are running high as friends find themselves in conflict with each other over the upcoming events. . 


	11. All is Fair in Love and Wrestling

**A/N:** The following two chapters were the hardest to write to this point in the story. In the series, the following events were interrupted by the arrival of the Poison Six Pack, which I had to edit out. It was not easy, I only hope I have pulled it off successfully. 

On a side note, whilst I am aware that this fic really should be an R-rated piece of work (and thanks to matto-otaku for reminding me), I'm highly reluctant to up the rating. Doing so removes this fic from the main page, and I struggle for an audience as it is. I think I shall attempt to push my luck for a few more chapters yet.

**Recap:** Kevin Mask, Kid Muscle and Jaeger all finished in the top 12 of the Three Feet Heat to earn their places in the Chojin Crown tournament. Kiki was suspicious of Marie's Chojin partner in the race.

**

* * *

Chapter 10 – All is Fair in Love and Wrestling**

"It truly is amazing!" Terry whispered in awestruck wonderment.

"I think it's just disgusting," Dik Dik admonished.

"I just don't understand where he puts it all!" Wally mused.

"I reckon maybe he just farts it all out," Terry suggested.

"I think he has two stomachs," Dik Dik said. "Sort of like a cow."

"He's like a cow?" Wally asked. "That would be weird if he was. Maybe it's because he's eaten so much cow, he's turned into one!"

"I reckon he looks more like a hog," Terry said.

"Two stomachs could make sense," Dik Dik insisted. "The second one is probably where his brain should be."

"Or his bladder," Wally suggested.

"Either way, looks like Kid Muscle has gone an' eaten this here whole table all to himself!" Terry pointed out.

Dik Dik and Wally scanned the buffet table, finding it lined with empty cow and rice bowls.

"Kid, I hope you're not stuffin' your face again!" Meat called over to Kid, as he guzzled his way through yet another bowl of cow and rice. "You'll get indigestion, and you won't be fit for tomorrow's events!"

"I don't think that's gonna matter too much, Meat!" Terry called over to Meat. "I hear tomorrow's event is just to pick numbers to see who's gonna be fightin' who in the first round!"

"About that…" Dik Dik said thoughtfully. "I don't understand why there are 12 finalists. 12 finalists equates to 6 matches, meaning 6 winners. That then means 3 matches, with 3 winners. And what then? Is it a fatal 3-way match to decide the overall winner?"

"Maybe they all fight each other in a one on one match up, and whoever gets 2 wins, wins the tournament!" Wally suggested.

"I dunno, Wally, it does seem rather odd," Terry said.

Kid thumped down another emptied bowl, his face creasing as he saw that there were no more full bowls awaiting his consumption.

"Hey, what happened to all the cow and rice?" he moaned.

"You ate it!" his three friends said in unison.

"Oh…"

Kid sighed, then broke into a grin, and began singing his cow and rice song as he bounced off to look for more food. His friends all sweatdropped as they watched him leave, shrugging their shoulders at a loss for what to say on the matter.

But Kid was oblivious to their actions, as he danced along the tables of food, in search of his favourite food. He eventually came to a stop when he spotted a table of seafood.

Kid began to sing his fish song, but quickly stopped when he spotted the one thing more appetising to him than any of the food on the buffet tables.

"Jacqueline!" he cried.

Kid hurried over to where Jacqueline stood, one hand on her hip, the other loosely holding onto a half-drunk champagne flute.

"Hi, Jacqueline!" he greeted her.

"Kid Muscle!" she said, smirking at him. "Congratulations on getting through the Three Feet Heat."

"Wow, thanks, Jacqueline!" Kid drooled.

"But you finished dead last," Jacqueline quickly reminded him. "And I don't like a man who finishes last. I like a man who finishes first…"

Kid stared at Jacqueline, his face dropping with his misery at her remark. He was so distraught over her rejection of him, it took him several seconds to register that her eyes were fixed on something else; or, to be more specific, someone else.

Kid slowly turned his head, seeing Kevin Mask leaning against one of the buffet tables at the very edge of the carnival. Kevin was standing outwith the range of the paper lanterns lighting the main tables, making him appear darker and more menacing than he usually did.

"Excuse me," Jacqueline said, thrusting her glass at Kid.

Kid grabbed onto it, watching in mortification as Jacqueline sauntered over to Kevin Mask, shifting her affections to the British Chojin.

"Kid Muscle!"

Kid turned around at the sound of his name, growling to himself as he saw Jaeger standing behind him, his arm around Roxanne.

"I hope ve vill meet in ze finals, Kid Muscle," Jaeger said. "I vould very much like ze opportunity to prove myself against ze great son of King Muscle!"

"Yeah, I hope I can fight you too," Kid replied, narrowing his eyes as he watched Roxanne smile dreamily up at Jaeger.

Jaeger and Roxanne then walked off, leaving Kid alone again. He turned back to watch Jacqueline, finding her standing alone where Kevin Mask had been standing only moments ago, her hands on her hips and an outraged expression on her face.

"Kid Muscle."

"Huh?"

Kid looked up to see Kevin Mask approaching him. Kid momentarily panicked that Kevin was angry with him over Jacqueline for some reason; but his fears were soon put to rest when Kevin spoke again.

"Unlike my father, Kid Muscle, I intend to beat the prince of Muscle Planet and win this tournament," Kevin said firmly. "I hope I shall have that honour in the final match."

"Oh, right," Kid said, nodding his head. "Yeah, I hope I can fight you in the finals too, Kevin!"

"Good."

"Say, Kevin?"

"What?"

"Do you think maybe you could go easy on me if we do meet in the finals? Only, I don't wanna look bad in front of Jacqueline–"

"Fool! Unlike you, Kid Muscle, I am not fighting in this tournament to elevate my status in the eyes of some stupid little girls!"

"Oh. So then I can have Jacqueline?"

"You can have whatever you want, Kid Muscle. Just not the Chojin Crown. I intend to win that title. I am fighting for honour. I am fighting to uphold the Mask family name! I will single-handedly reinstate the Mask family name as the name of champions! Honour is the reason I entered this tournament."

"The reason I entered was to convince my dad to let me marry Roxanne, cause he said no the first time, cause… Actually, I still don't exactly know why he said no the first time, but–"

"I don't particularly care about your trifling little problems in your lovelife, Kid Muscle."

"Oh, sorry."

"Just make sure you make it into the finals. I'll be waiting for you there."

"Okay, cool."

Kid watched Kevin walk off. When he turned back, his manager stood in Kevin's place, beaming up at him proudly.

"Ya see, Kid?" Meat said. "Everybody just knows you're gonna do great in the Chojin Crown!"

"Yeah," Kid laughed.

_But I don't want to have to fight Kevin Mask!_ he thought to himself.

"I bet ya can't wait for tomorrow, huh Kid?" Meat continued.

"Yeah, tomorrow…" Kid vaguely replied, his attention shifting to Roxanne.

When he noticed she was no longer with Jaeger, but rather with Kiki, Kid found the courage to approach her.

"It's gonna be just like the old times!" Meat said, teary-eyed. "Just like when it was King Muscle, Marie and me. Those were the days, Kid, I tell ya! Say Kid, did I ever tell you about the time that I… Kid? Kid!"

But Kid was already closing in on Roxanne, unaware that his manager was still speaking behind him.

"Hi, Kid!" Kiki greeted him.

"Hi Roxanne," Kid said, ignoring Kiki, instead choosing to stare at Roxanne.

"So anyway, as I was saying, Kiki," Roxanne said loudly, turning her back on Kid. "Jaeger told me he lives in a small village in Northern Germany. Apparently there are a load of little shops in the village, and the air is clean and pure, and the grass is really green. Can you imagine living in a place like that? It sounds like a total dream come true! Just like something out of a movie!"

"Yeah, like something out of _The Sound of Music_, maybe!" Trixie drawled as she joined their group. "Man, I could swear I'm still finding bits of seaweed in my hair!"

"Roxanne?" Kid said weakly.

"Oh, hey there, Kid!" Trixie said, turning towards the prince. "I didn't see you there! Hey Roxanne, look who it is!"

"It's Jaeger!" Roxanne said, opening out her arms as Jaeger rejoined them.

Kid's face twisted as he watched Roxanne catch Jaeger in an embrace, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hey Roxanne, you're still my fiancée, remember?" Kid pointed out.

"What is wrong with you, Kid Muscle?" Roxanne snapped, releasing Jaeger to turn on Kid. "We broke up, remember? Your dad wanted you to marry a stupid, shallow girl. Maybe that Jacqueline girl would please him better!"

"Well maybe she would!" Kid sneered.

"Well maybe you should go marry her!" Roxanne shouted.

"Well maybe I will!" Kid yelled.

"Well maybe you should!"

"Well maybe I will!"

"Well maybe you should!"

"Well maybe I will!"

"God, you are so childish! Why don't you just shut-up and marry her already, huh?"

"Well maybe I will!"

"Stop it!"

Roxanne screamed in frustration, and swung her handbag at Kid, clobbering him over the head.

"I hate you so much, Kid Muscle!" she yelled at him, before marching off towards the drinks table.

"Nice going, idiot!" Trixie snapped, slapping Kid over the head.

Trixie hurried after Roxanne, leaving Kiki glancing nervously between Kid Muscle and Jaeger. Slowly, the two men turned to each other, both straightening to their fullest heights as they inspected each other critically.

"I saw her first!" Kid hissed.

"She doesn't even like you, Kid Muscle!" Jaeger retorted.

"She agreed to marry me!" Kid retaliated.

"You dumped her, Kid!"

"She dumped me!"

"And now she has chosen me."

"Not if I have anything to say about it! You know, Jaeger, I hope I really do meet you in the finals! I'm gonna kill you!"

"Not if I kill you first, Kid Muscle!"

Both men glowered at each other for a moment, before turning and storming off in opposite directions, leaving Kiki completely alone. She sighed, partly in relief that the tenseness had past, and partly because she was annoyed to find that, yet again, her friends had left her on her own.

"I guess some things never change…" she grumbled, starting along the snacks table.

As she walked, Kiki found herself in the vicinity of Vance and Ikeman McMadd, who were hunched over a clipboard, grinning and muttering about something.

"If we have two divisions, we can have better control over who will progress to the finals," Kiki heard Vance say to his son.

"Yes, father, you're absolutely right!" Ikeman agreed. "We just need to make sure that Kevin Mask is on one division, and Jaeger is in the other! All the fans love Kevin Mask, you know!"

"And all the fans love Jaeger!" Vance added. "If they are the two finalists of the tournament, we are guaranteed good ticket sales!"

"And good ticket sales means good money for us!"

The father and son giggled at this prospect; but their merriment was cut short by the sound of a scream from the other end of the buffet. Kiki turned to see Kid Muscle standing with a glass punch bowl over his head, the contents of which were dripping all down his clothes.

"You are unbelievable, Kid Muscle!" Roxanne roared. "Take a hint: stay away from me!"

"Whereas if that idiot makes it to the finals, our ticket sales will be the worst imaginable," Vance grumbled.

"I quite agree, father!" Ikeman replied. "He is just making a mockery of my Chojin Crown Tournament! We have to make sure he doesn't make it past the first round!"

"I couldn't agree more son," Vance said solemnly.

"And I think I may have devised the perfect means of ensuring he doesn't even get as far as the first round, never mind any further!" Ikeman said cheerfully.

"You have?" Vance echoed.

"Oh yes! It's my little surprise for tomorrow! Trust me father, you'll love it!"

Kiki moved away from the table, not wishing to hear any more from the two blatantly biased IWF officials. She started towards Roxanne to tell her what she had just heard; but then she remembered that Roxanne would probably be overjoyed to learn that the McMadds were scheming for a Jaeger versus Kevin Mask final, since both men were – apparently – Roxanne's favourites.

Kiki sighed again, walking away from the buffet, heading back towards the carnival. She looked around herself as she walked, her mind swaying towards just going home. She was feeling tired and a little down; with her studies over, and her friends all distracted by the ongoing Chojin Crown, Kiki had nothing much to think about, and she knew only too well that it was a dangerous thing for her to be bored.

Kiki was still finding it hard to deal with what had happened to Mars. A large part of her still adamantly denied that it could have been true. It seemed so hard to believe that Mars has just died, just like that. As cruel and evil as the DMP were, Kiki could not understand why they had killed Mars, let alone how.

Mars had always seemed so invincible, so resilient. The way he had fought against the Muscle Leaguers, and the fact that he alone had survived Sunshine's attack on the DMP hideout, had given the general impression that Mars was unstoppable.

And Kiki was also suspicious of the fact that Mars had returned to the DMP hideout in the first place. He had said to her before he had left that he could never go back to the DMP, so why had he done so? He had explicitly said to Kiki that he was aware that the DMP would be angry with him for what he had done, and consequences could be dire; so then why had he risked going back?

The only logical explanation for his returning there in Kiki's mind was that he had perhaps left something there, something so important he was forced to go back, chancing death in doing so.

And if that really was the case, Kiki wondered if Dik Dik's earlier outburst would have proved true; had she gone with him, would he have taken her to the hideout too, and would she have suffered a similar fate?

"You fool!"

Kiki stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as she awoke from her thoughts. She crept over to the nearest stall, peering around it to find the source of the voice.

Around the corner lay a dark path running along the outskirts of the carnival. At first, Kiki could only see Dik Dik, looking thoroughly ashamed of himself, and a little frightened of something. Taking another step forwards, two further figures came into Kiki's line of sight.

"You utter, utter idiot!" Kevin Mask growled, pacing back and forth in front of Dik Dik. "What were you thinking?"

"I thought I was doing the right thing!" Dik Dik said weakly.

"Stupid boy, your interference has no doubt only aggravated an already difficult situation!" the third figure said to Dik Dik.

Kiki narrowed her eyes at the third person, a man, standing facing Dik Dik. He looked just like the man Kevin had been partnered with for the Three Feet Heat. Kevin continued to pace back and forth between the two men, his anger so intense, Kiki almost thought she could feel it radiating from his body.

"Never mind, the damage has been done now," Kevin sighed. "Just tell me this: did he finish the Three Feet Heat?"

"Yes," Dik Dik said quietly, lowering his head, his ears drooping.

"Did he qualify for the tournament?" the third man asked Dik Dik.

"Yes," Dik Dik said again.

"Damn!" Kevin yelled, quickening his pace and marching towards Kiki.

Kiki quickly leapt back out of his path, watching with wide eyes as he stormed past her, his open trenchcoat billowing behind him as he went.

"Kevin, wait!"

Kiki slunk back, stopping again as Kevin's friend past her, running after Kevin. A few moments later, Dik Dik appeared, watching Kevin and his friend darkly. Kiki held her breath for fear of being spotted, watching carefully as Dik Dik slowly walked off in the same direction as Kevin.

"What was all that about?" she muttered to herself once Dik Dik was safely outwith earshot.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** The 12 contestants in the Ikeman Chojin Crown take part in an interesting lottery to decide their places in the first round match-ups. **Chapter 11 – Chojin Lotto**.

**A/N(2):** Hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas. I hope to put up another 1 or 2 chapters between Christmas and New Year, but in case I don't get round to it, have a good New Year too!


	12. Chojin Lotto

**A/N:** Again, another hard chapter, as this is an attempt to replicate what happened on the show (in episodes I have never even seen!) whilst maintaining my AU storyline; particularly difficult for explaining how Kid managed to get into the pinball thing without being inside a ball. Hope it flows! 

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas, I know I sure did!

**Recap:** Roxanne was dreaming of a new life in Germany with Jaeger whilst Kid drooled over Jacqueline. Ikeman and Vance are conspiring for a Kevin Mask vs. Jaeger final. Kevin was angry at Dik Dik about something.

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Chojin Lotto**

"This is it, Kid!" Meat gushed. "Your first Chojin Crown! I'm so proud of ya, Kid! Aren't ya excited? What am I sayin'? Of course you're excited! This is such a big day for you!"

"Uh, Meat?"

"What's up, Terry?"

"I don't think the kid can hear you."

"Huh?"

Meat turned around, finding Kid curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, sucking on his thumb, a bubble hanging from one nostril that inflated and deflated with every slow, sleeping breath he drew.

"Kid!" Meat yelled.

"Say Meat, while the kid's sleepin', why don't you explain to us all what's goin' on out there?" Terry asked.

"Yeah, Meat!" Wally added. "What's this "lottery" that's going on?"

"It's to decide the places for the first round match-ups!" Meat explained.

"It all looks dang complicated, if you ask me," Terry said, eying the empty tournament chart hanging on the wall of Kid's locker room.

"Yeah, it's sure got me confused!" Wally agreed.

"It's not complicated!" Meat insisted, walking over to the chart. "See, today we have twelve Chojins going into the lottery drawing. There are eight slots in the first round, and four in the second round. Eight of the wrestlers will have to compete in the first round, and the other four will get a by to the second round."

"So if Kid draws lucky, he's only got three fights to win the Chojin Crown," Terry said.

"And if he's not so lucky, he's got four fights," Wally pointed out.

"Exactly!" Meat agreed. "And the tournament is divided into two Divisions: the Red and the Black. No matter what the outcome of the previous matches are, the final round will be between a wrestler from the Red Division and a wrestler from the Black Division."

"Do y'all reckon Kid might have to fight Jaeger or Kevin Mask?" Terry asked.

"I certainly wouldn't rule either match out, Terry," Meat replied. "Both Jaeger and Kevin will be lookin' to win the tournament, and they've both got a good chance of goin' pretty far towards doin' just that!"

"Wow, Kid's never fought Jaeger or Kevin before!" Wally commented. "I wonder how he would manage?"

The trio turned to where Kid lay, still sleeping, oblivious to the intense discussion being held around him.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough, guys," Meat said with a sigh. "But we oughta get going. I don't want the kid to be late for the lottery drawing."

Terry and Wally nodded their agreement, leaving the locker room. Meat walked over to Kid, shaking him with both hands.

"Come on, Kid, wake up!" he said firmly. "The drawing's about to start!"

Meat slowly stopped shaking Kid as he came to the conclusion that his tactics to awaken the prince were obviously not forceful enough.

"Hey Kid!" he said brightly, as an idea occurred to him. "The cow and rice cart just got here!"

Meat's smile slowly faded, and he began to wish he had brought his broom with him; if the promise of cow and rice was not enough to wake the kid, what would be?

"Hey Kid, here comes Roxanne!" Meat yelled.

"Roxanne!" Kid repeated, sitting up, his eyes still hazy from his nap.

"Come on Kid, she's out in the hall!" Meat added.

"Roxanne?"

Kid sluggishly got to his feet, stumbling over to the door of his locker room. Meat eagerly followed him out, placing both hands on Kid's back and pushing him onwards down the hall.

"Hey, I don't see Roxanne anywhere!" Kid moaned.

"She's down this way!" Meat lied, shoving Kid towards the meeting point for the competing wrestlers.

When Kid and Meat arrived, the other Chojins had already left. Meat began to panic, releasing Kid to hurry over to a nearby IWF official.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the official replied. "The drawing is about to start."

"What? But Kid's a contestant!"

"Huh? Oh, Kid Muscle! Right this way!"

"Kid, come on!"

Kid began to creep away from Meat, but his manager quickly ran after him, shoving him back towards the IWF official.

"If you would just like to step this way, Kid," the official said, holding out his arm towards a lowered doorway. "And if you could just get into the capsule there, we can begin the drawing!"

"Go on, Kid!" Meat encouraged, giving one last, hard shove to Kid, throwing him through the doorway.

Kid looked around himself, scratching his head.

"That's odd…" he muttered. "I don't see any capsule…"

A rush of air closing in behind Kid caused him to turn around, where he barely had enough time to let out a scream of terror as a giant metal plate shot towards him. The plate collided with Kid, pushing him out of the tunnel and into a brightly lit maze.

Kid screamed again as he saw a series of large, brightly coloured balls pinging about around him. Closer inspection revealed that each ball contained a wrestler, and they appeared to all be aiming for one end of the maze.

Kid turned around to see two exits from the maze. One was labelled "Round One", the other "By to Round Two". Kid vaguely recalled Meat waffling on about something to do with first round matches and bys to second round matches; but since he had been reading a men's magazine his grandfather had sent him from Muscle Planet, he had not really been paying attention to Meat, and suddenly found himself wishing that he had.

But, as he watched the other wrestlers aim for the "By to Round Two" exit, Kid began to think that that exit was obviously the better option of the two. And, he thought to himself, it looked like it meant he would go straight into round two of the tournament, by-passing round one.

Kid began to run towards his favoured exit, grinning to himself as he saw another ball roll through the "First Round" exit. But, as Kid drew nearer to the exit, he saw another giant pinball bounce towards the goal.

"No!" Kid screamed.

He began to run faster, his panic increasing as he saw that it was Kevin Mask.

"Kevin!" he yelled. "No! Don't go that way, Kevin!"

As though he had heard Kid's cries, Kevin kicked hard at his ball, steering himself away from the "By to Round Two" exit, rolling instead into the "First Round" slot.

"Thanks, Kev!" Kid shouted, continuing on towards the easier exit.

Outside of the maze, Vance and Ikeman McMadd were beginning to panic as they watched on.

"You said you had a way of making sure that idiot didn't even make it into the first round of this tournament!" Vance growled at his son. "At this rate, he'll be getting a by into the second round!"

"Oh don't worry, father!" Ikeman slyly replied, pulling a remote control out from under his chair. "I came prepared. There is no way Kid Muscle is getting off that easily!"

Ikeman aimed the remote at the pinball maze, and a rogue man-sized pinball began chasing after Kid Muscle. Kid was oblivious to its advance, his eyes locked on his target of a place in the second round of the tournament.

"Kid Muscle, no!"

Trixie and Kiki turned to each other, exchanging smiles as Roxanne stood between them, her fists clenched anxiously at her sides.

"Behind you, Kid!" she yelled.

But Kid could not hear Roxanne's warnings, and the giant pinball smacked into him, ramming him against the wall of the maze. The ball then rolled back a little, before charging towards him again. Repeatedly, the ball battered into Kid, holding him against the wall and successfully stopping him from securing himself a place in either the first or second round of the tournament.

"KID MUSCLE!" Roxanne screamed. "FIGHT BACK!"

Roxanne's piercing cry penetrated through to Kid, who heard her voice as a muffled plea.

"Roxanne?" he muttered, before groaning again as the ball slammed into him yet again.

Kid squinted up at the stands, soon sighting a familiar female figure standing midway back in the crowd, shouting at him frantically.

"Roxanne…" he said weakly. "She still… Cares…"

Kid smiled to himself, turning towards the ball as it shot at him for one more collision. Kid reached out with both hands, catching the ball, and then shoved it back, sending it rolling away from himself. Kid started towards his favoured exit again, but the ball swerved suddenly, chasing after him again. Hearing it gaining on him from behind, Kid spun around and kicked the ball with his heel, shattering it.

Kid paused, frowning and scratching his head as he eyed the shattered remains of the pinball. Amongst the shards of the outer shell of the ball lay some sort of radio-controlled engine.

Kid shrugged his shoulders, turning back to the exits. He grinned to himself when he saw that there was only one more ball left, increasing his chances of making it into the last remaining place in the second round. Kid ran on cheerfully for a brief stint, grinning from ear to ear in unabashed joy. However, Kid's delight was short-lived.

The last remaining pinball slammed into Kid side-on, sending him reeling towards the "First Round" exit. Before Kid could stop himself, he had slid through the "First Round" exit, deciding his fate for the tournament. The last pinball dropped into the second round slot, and the IWF official announced that the lottery drawing was over.

Roxanne sat down, sighing in relief. Her brow was still furrowed as she watched the officials match up the entrants into pairings for the tournament.

"Well you guys, I guess that's the tournament over for another day," Trixie said, rising to her feet and stretching her arms above her head.

"It's not over yet, they haven't posted the pairings!" Roxanne shortly replied, her eyes still fixed on the giant monitor, displaying a hierarchal diagram of the tournament slots; all of which were still blank.

"Oh yeah…" Trixie said, smiling and winking at Kiki. "I guess we should wait to find out which slot Kid Muscle got into."

Trixie slowly sat back down, watching Roxanne carefully for her response. Roxanne remained transfixed by the monitor for a moment longer, before the creases in her face slowly shifted from an expression of tense anxiety to one of perturbed confusion.

"I'm not waiting to find out about that dork Kid Muscle!" Roxanne indignantly said. "I'm waiting to see where Jaeger got to."

"Jaeger, right…" Trixie said slowly, nodding her head.

"Look, the first pairing is up now!" Kiki said, pointing at the monitor.

"The first first round match will be from the Black Division," the IWF official announced to the audience. "The match will be between Photo Pat and D-Struction!"

"Between who and who?" Trixie asked, raising an eyebrow at the unknown names.

"The second first round match-up will be from the Red Division," the IWF official continued. "And it will be between Sly-Scraper and Ricardo! The third first round match will also be from the Red Division, and it will be between Hollywood Bowl and Kid Muscle!"

"Who's Hollywood Bowl?" Roxanne immediately asked no-one in particular, touching a finger to the corner of her mouth thoughtfully.

"Guess we'll find out the day after tomorrow, Rox," Trixie assured her.

"And the final first round match-up will be from the Black Division, and will be between Chijimi Man and Kevin Mask! The remaining four contestants have advanced to the second round of the tournament, where they will battle the four winners of the first round. Further details of the second round match-ups will be revealed nearer the time. For more in-depth details of our first round match-ups and for a preview of our upcoming second round, don't forget to purchase the second instalment of the Ikeman Chojin Crown Programme from our gift shop, which will be available for purchase from tomorrow. Our second instalment will be half price for those who have already purchased the first instalment. Thank you ladies and gentlemen, and good day!"

"I guess Jaeger got a by to the second round," Kiki concluded.

"Who is Hollywood Bowl?" Roxanne asked again, as the girls got to their feet.

"We don't know, Roxanne," Trixie replied. "But we'll find out at Kid's match, right?"

"I guess so…" Roxanne said with a sigh.

"Hey you guys, look!" Kiki said, smiling brightly. "Terry, Dik Dik, Wally and Meat are waiting for us!"

The girls hurriedly picked their way through the crowds of people exiting the stands, joining their Muscle League friends by the exit.

"Hey you guys!" Roxanne greeted them.

"Did y'all see what happened in there?" Terry asked them.

"Yeah," Trixie replied, rolling her eyes. "Kid totally made an ass of himself. He was like the only wrestler not in a pinball!"

"I wasn't talkin' about Kid Muscle, Trixie," Terry said. "I was talkin' about what Kevin Mask did!"

"Kevin Mask?" Trixie echoed, trying to contain a smile of interest.

"The ego-maniac redirected himself into the first round," Dik Dik solemnly replied. "He was about to go into the by slot, but he redirected himself. I think the fool wants to try to prove to us all that he can win the Chojin Crown without the help of a second round pass!"

"Maybe he can," Trixie suggested.

"I dunno, it's a pretty big thing to do," Wally pointed out. "As far as I know, it's only ever been done by two other wrestlers!"

"There thou art correct, my fine, furred friend" Checkmate confirmed as he joined the group. "Winning the Chojin Crown from the first round hath only been achieved by the father of Kid Muscle, King Muscle, and by the father of Kevin Mask, Sir Robin Mask."

"Wow," Kiki muttered.

"King Muscle…" Roxanne grumbled to herself.

"We ought to get going," Trixie pointed out. "But I'm sure we'll see you guys tomorrow, right?"

"Well sure, Trixie!" Terry said with a grin. "Which match are y'all goin' to?"

"I got us tickets to the Black Division," Roxanne replied. "So I guess we're going to see Photo Pat and D-Struction."

"Dang!" Terry said. "We done got tickets for the Red Division."

"I heard the Red Division isn't so popular," Trixie mused. "Something about the fact that Kevin Mask was slated to be in the Black Division from the start. I'm sure we could probably still get tickets, though, since the Red Division doesn't seem to have sold out. We could come join you after the Black Division match ends. What time does the Red Division match start?"

"Three o'clock," Terry replied.

"Well we could do both," Roxanne agreed. "The Black Division match starts at one o'clock."

"That'd sure be great!" Terry said, grinning at Trixie.

Kiki noticed Terry's gesture, unable to restrain a smirk. She still hoped that Trixie and Terry would end up together; and Trixie's recent, reformed, behaviour did make the possibility of them dating seem increasingly likely.

"Well, we'll see you guys tomorrow, yeah?" Roxanne said brightly.

The girls headed off together, leaving the Muscle Leaguers behind to discuss the pairings for the upcoming matches. Dik Dik cast his eyes upwards at the monitor, his eyebrows drawing together into a deep-set frown as he ran his eyes along the first round match-ups.

"Once again, you were lucky, Six," he muttered under his breath. "I see you managed to secure yourself a by to the second round. I only hope you are defeated there by Kid Muscle or Kevin Mask."

**

* * *

Next Chapter: The first round matches of both the Red and Black Divisions kick off. Kiki thinks she sees someone she once knew. ****Chapter 12 – Watch the Birdie!** The first round matches of both the Red and Black Divisions kick off. Kiki thinks she sees someone she once knew. 

**A/N(2):** Please review. Please. Reviews are what keep me writing, and I haven't had too many lately…


	13. Watch the Birdie!

**A/N:** I don't know what Ricardo's accent sounds like, so forgive me if he sounds wrong. Although I have seen the Photo Pat vs. D-Struction match, I think it's kinda boring, so I've skimmed over it.

Timeline difference again. Only two of the first round matches occur on the first day, the other two will take place the day after. Yet another cheap, Lucretia-esque attempt to draw out the action.

**Recap:** The 12 finalists entered a human pinball machine to decide their placing in the tournament. Although he tried for a "by" slot, Kid ended up in the first round.

* * *

**Chapter 12 – Watch the Birdie!**

Kiki made her way towards the queue at the snack stand, her eyes watching the insides of her handbag as she raked through it for her purse. In her distracted state of mind, it was not until she had already passed the gift shop that she remembered it was even there.

Kiki skidded to a halt a short distance from her destination of the queue for the snack stand, turning her head back towards the gift shop. Her eyes almost immediately landed on a life-size cardboard cut-out of Kevin Mask, standing over a giant box of booklets.

Kiki turned her head back to her bag, slowly pulling out the programme she had bought three days ago. Another quick rummage through the dregs of her bag uncovered her receipt, and with a small smile of intrigue, Kiki started towards the gift shop.

Kiki grabbed up the second instalment of the programme as she passed the display of Kevin Mask, carrying on to the checkout. She slowed her pace slightly, her smile disappearing as she spotted the same two girls who had served her previously.

"Hi," she said tightly, placing down the programme on the counter top.

The girls both fell silent, looking at her blankly for a moment.

"Hi," one eventually said. "Is that all, ma'am?"

"Yes, thanks," Kiki replied.

"Alright."

Kiki handed over her money, glad that neither of the girls pursued their previous discussion regarding Kevin Mask. Again, as she joined the queue for the snack stand, Kiki took out her new programme to read to pass the time.

This time around, the front cover of the programme was filled with a headshot of Ikeman McMadd; whose ego seemed to be growing by the day. The first five pages were an account of Ikeman McMadd's athletic aspirations as a teenager. Screwing up her face, Kiki quickly flicked past the images of the new IWF chairman, stopping when she spotted a double-page spread of the same tournament diagram that had been displayed at the previous day's events.

The eight bottom boxes for the first round had been filled with the names of the eight Chojin warriors who had been announced the day before. The eight boxes above them had been filled with odd words that made Kiki scrunch up her nose in confusion.

"What'll it be?" the man at the snack stand asked her.

"Oh, uh, three regular burgers and three large diet Cokes, thanks," Kiki replied, blinking up at the man.

"Comin' right up," he replied.

Kiki shoved her new programme back into her bag still slightly surprised to see how quickly she had reached the front of the queue. Shaking her head to dismiss the thought from her mind, Kiki handed over her money to the man behind the stand, and then stepped aside to wait for her tray.

As she was waiting, Kiki turned back to look across at the gift shop, smiling to herself as she spotted a stack of red headbands with gazelle horns piled behind a sign that read "75 off".

"Hey!"

Kiki spun around again, snapping out of her reverie to find her tray placed in front of her.

"Oh, sorry!" she quickly apologised. "And thanks again."

The man frowned down at Kiki as though she was mad; but Kiki did not notice his gesture, as her mind had begun to wander off onto other matters already. Kiki lifted up her tray, and started towards the main stadium, her mind replaying Marie's description of her partner in the Three Feet Heat. Kiki had still not found any explanation for who the man was. She had hoped to catch a glimpse of him at the previous day's lottery drawing, but had not had the opportunity to do so. As all the wrestlers – bar Kid Muscle – had been concealed from clear view by their pinball capsules, Kiki had been unable to make out even Kevin Mask or Jaeger.

Hopefully, Kiki thought to herself, the new instalment of her programme would have his profile inside. The first instalment had contained profiles of the seven wrestlers the IWF had expected to qualify, so surely this one would have the profiles of the qualified competitors.

With that thought in mind, Kiki quickened her pace, soon finding herself amongst the colossal upper seating circle of the stadium, picking her way back towards her friends.

"Hey Kiki, let's hope this match is over quickly," Trixie greeted her. "It looks like Roxanne can't wait to get on over to the Red Division match-up for some weird reason…"

Roxanne sighed, grabbing up her order from Kiki's tray.

"I want to get over there because all the Red Division contestants are in the audience," Roxanne patiently explained.

"And Kid Muscle is in the…?" Trixie said, smirking to herself.

"The Red Division," Roxanne replied, rolling her eyes. "And so is Jaeger. Which is why I want to get over there!"

"Jaeger's in the Red Division?" Kiki asked, sitting down next to Roxanne.

"So Roxanne says," Trixie replied.

"He is in the Red Division, Trixie!" Roxanne snapped. "He's either Red Number Five or Red Number Six. He doesn't know yet."

"Oh," Kiki said with a nod of her head. "So Jaeger did get a by slot, then?"

"Yeah," Roxanne confirmed.

"So he could be fighting Kid Muscle in the second round?"

Roxanne stiffened, her eyes momentarily widening.

"Now that would be an interesting match-up," Trixie said smugly, crossing her arms and eying Roxanne.

"Gee, I hope they don't have to fight each other," Roxanne muttered to herself. "That would be awful…"

"They are the two favourites for the Red Division, Roxanne!" Trixie pointed out. "If they don't face each other in the second round, you can bet they will in the third!"

"Yeah, and then the winner of that one will have to fight Kevin Mask…" Roxanne added.

"What?" Kiki echoed. "Why does everyone assume Kevin Mask is gonna make it to the finals?"

"Oh come on, Kiki!" Trixie drawled. "Of course Kevin Mask will make it to the finals!"

"He might not…" Kiki grumbled, pulling her newest programme from her bag.

As Roxanne and Trixie mused over the inevitability of a Kevin Mask versus Jaeger final in the tournament, Kiki turned back to the page she had been reading at the snack stand, studying the tournament diagram in more detail.

"Kiki, you didn't buy another stupid programme, did you?" Roxanne asked, screwing up her face as she peered over Kiki's shoulder.

"What does it say, Kiki?" Trixie asked her.

"Well, apart from being filled with painful and unnecessary images of Ikeman McMadd, it's got a breakdown of the tournament listings," Kiki explained. "This match we're watching today is between Black Number One, Photo Pat, and Black Number Two, D-Struction. The next Black Division match is tomorrow, and that's Black Number Three, Kevin Mask, against Black Number Four, Chijimi Man."

"I doubt Roxanne cares too much about the Black Division, Kiki," Trixie said. "And besides, the Black Division is a foregone conclusion, really. We all know Kevin Mask is gonna win this one. Tell us about the Red Division, Kiki."

"Okay," Kiki began. "The first Red Division match is today, and it's Red Number One, Ricardo, against Red Number Two, Slyscraper. The next Red Division match is Red Number Three, Kid Muscle, against Red Number Four, Hollywood Bowl."

"Hollywood Bowl, huh?" Trixie repeated. "What happens to Kid after he beats that loser?"

"He advances to the second round, where he fights Red Number Five."

"Okay, and who is Red Number Five?"

"It doesn't say."

Kiki lifted her head, looking first at Trixie, then at Roxanne.

"Of course!" Roxanne agreed. "Jaeger said the second round slots haven't been finalised yet. The four wrestlers who got a by to the second round know which division they're in, but not what number they are."

"So who are the two guys in the second round from the Red Division?" Trixie asked.

Kiki turned the page, finding a page each on Black Numbers One, Two, Three and Four, then the same for Red Numbers One to Four. The next section was a double page spread, picturing four silhouetted outlines of wrestlers, with large question marks over them.

"Oh," Trixie said flatly. "Guess they want to keep the second round a surprise… Well at least we know Jaeger is one of the Red Division wresters in the second round."

"Yeah, but who's the other guy?" Roxanne asked.

"And who are the two in the Black Division?" Kiki asked.

"No-one cares!" Trixie said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Kevin Mask is sure to beat them all, anyway!"

"If you're so sure Kevin Mask is gonna win the Black Division, why did you bother getting us tickets for this match?" Kiki snapped.

"It wasn't me who bought these tickets!" Trixie replied, pointing at Roxanne.

"The Black Division was more popular!" Roxanne defended herself. "You said so yourself, Trixie!"

"Yeah, only because Kevin Mask is in the Black Division! I didn't think we were gonna have to sit through all this crap too!"

"I am really surprised none of the other guys made it into the tournament," Roxanne mused. "I thought at least Terry or Checkmate would have made it through."

"You guys?" Kiki said, pointing down at the ring. "We're missing the match."

"Terry would have made it through, if Jaeger hadn't continued in the Beach Flags contest," Trixie said tightly. "He saw Terry was saving that boy, and yet he carried on running. The race should have been restarted, it's so unfair!"

"Unfair? Hey, Jaeger worked hard to get into the tournament!" Roxanne argued back.

"Are you saying Terry didn't work hard?"

"No! I just meant that–"

"Jaeger cheated!"

Roxanne gasped at Trixie's accusation, but Trixie abruptly stood up, her face set.

"I'm going to the Red Division match," she said decisively. "I'll see you guys later."

"Trixie!" Roxanne wailed, standing up as Trixie slinked along the row of seats away from her.

"Let her go, Roxanne," Kiki said, reaching up a hand to Roxanne's elbow. "She's still a bit confused over her feelings for Terry, best leave her alone to work them out, yeah?"

"Yeah, I guess so…" Roxanne agreed, sitting down again.

"So Roxanne, what do you think about Photo Pat?" Kiki asked with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Roxanne asked, lifting the programme from Kiki's hand to study the picture of Photo Pat for herself.

"Is it a he or is it a she?" Kiki asked.

"I don't know…" Roxanne muttered.

"I've never seen a female Chojin before. Can you imagine if they had a women's division?"

"We could enter!"

Kiki laughed, but soon stopped when she saw that Roxanne was not entirely joking.

"Just think Kiki," Roxanne said slyly. "The McMadds would pay you to beat up Kevin Mask!"

"Oh, ha ha!" Kiki sneered.

"Do you think Trixie be will alright?"

"Sure. Maybe the time alone with Terry will do her good."

"I guess so."

* * *

Kiki stopped, looking around herself with a frown of confusion. She scratched her head absent-mindedly as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing; surely there had been some sort of mistake?

Kiki pondered waiting exactly where she was for Roxanne to return. Surely this deserted arena was not the location of the Red Division match, and surely Roxanne would soon realise that too, and come back from the outdoor seating area to rejoin Kiki inside the main hall.

Another complete surveillance of her immediate surroundings told Kiki that not only was there no snack stand or gift shop, but there was also no toilet facilities or even any sign of security staffing in the rundown arena.

"Weird…" she muttered to herself.

Kiki started towards the exit, assuming that, in their haste to arrive at the arena in time for the start of the first Red Division match-up, she and Roxanne had somehow ended up in the wrong location. But Kiki barely took more than a few steps towards the exit before abruptly coming to a halt, her eyes landing on a ragged poster hanging on a poorly lit wall by the entrance.

Kiki slowly crept up to the poster, tilting her head to one side as she studied the image depicted on it. It was an old photograph of Kid Muscle (or at least, it was a pose Kiki had seen Kid portrayed in many times before) with the title of the tournament above his head, and a caption across his legs.

"The Ikeman Chojin Crown," Kiki read aloud from the top of the poster. "I'm fighting for love."

Kiki edged closer to the poster, squinting at the finer print beneath the quote plastered across Kid's thighs.

"Kid Muscle – The Reason will be available from to buy from the IWF gift shop on the day of Kid's first match."

Kiki looked up at Kid's face again, frowning hard as she tried to make sense of the odd little sentence she had just read.

"Well, if I could find the IWF gift shop, I'd go investigate, but…"

Kiki sighed, turning her back on the poster. She decided that she could investigate the meaning of the poster later; first, she had to find Roxanne.

Kiki walked onwards in the direction she had last seen Roxanne heading, soon finding herself walking through a small, sparsely populated seating area of a mediocre outdoor stadium. Kiki stopped short, blinking owlishly at what lay ahead of her, barely able to believe what she was seeing.

"Hoi, Kiki!" Trixie yelled, waving her arms above her head.

Kiki feebly waved one hand back at Trixie, starting towards her friend. All around her, the rows of seats stood empty, bar the first five rows, which were filled with IWF officials, the Muscle League and a handful of die-hard IWF fans, most of whom had probably just arrived from the Black Division match.

"Hey, where's the food?" Trixie asked Kiki as she joined her at their seats in the front row.

"Good question," Kiki blandly replied. "There isn't a snack stand back there."

"No snack stand?" Roxanne echoed. "That's weird!"

"There isn't a gift shop back there, either," Kiki added. "I couldn't even find the toilets!"

"Yeah, Ikeman made a few cut-backs for the Red Division," Meat coldly said.

"But why?" Trixie asked him.

"Because he doesn't like the kid, and he doesn't want to see him win the Chojin Crown!" Meat explained.

The girls turned to Kid Muscle, finding him standing a short distance behind Meat, quivering and biting through his fingernails.

"What's up with Kid?" Kiki asked. "Why is he so scared?"

"I'm guessing he's worried about having to fight Slyscraper in the third round…" Trixie dryly replied, her eyes fixed on the wrestling match underway inside the ring.

Kiki and Roxanne turned towards the ring to find Slyscraper standing over a seemingly finished Ricardo.

"That is so pathetic," Roxanne groaned, glowering at Kid. "I'm so glad I dumped him!"

"Well well, look what we have here! If it isn't Kid Muscle and his three little groupie girls!"

Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki all turned around, their anger flashing across their eyes as they watched Jacqueline McMadd slowly make her way through the seats to join them by the railings.

"I can't believe she is still wearing the same outfit…" Trixie muttered.

"Maybe she–" Kiki began.

"And don't bother trying to tell me how pretty she is," Trixie warned her.

"I was trying to say that maybe she's got a few sets that look the same!" Kiki defended herself.

"Hey Jacqueline, I think you got the address wrong," Meat said, meeting Jacqueline as she stopped by the steel railings. "The Black Division matches are bein' held downtown."

"I don't care about the Black Card matches," Jacqueline replied dismissively. "I'm looking for the Red Card boys. I've been backstage, and it looks like all the handsome men are in the Red Division."

Jacqueline glanced up at the ring, raising her eyebrows at Ricardo, before turning on her heel and walking away from the others. Kid quickly leapt into her path, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey Jacqueline!" he said.

Jacqueline ignored him, pushing past him to continue on her way to a free seat.

"You're the best, Jacqueline!" Kid called after her. "You're almost as tasty as a bowl of cow and rice!"

Trixie smirked to herself as she watched Roxanne bare her teeth and seethe in silent, suppressed rage.

"Actually, Jacqueline?" Kid yelled, as Jacqueline continued to walk away from him. "Can you cook cow and rice? Cause I really love cow and rice!"

Kid began to sing his famous cow and rice song; but Jacqueline continued to ignore his efforts.

"Like you said Roxanne," Trixie said. "I bet you're real glad you dumped Kid Muscle!"

"Who does she think she is, anyway?" Roxanne growled, narrowing her eyes at the retreating form of Jacqueline McMadd.

"The sister of the IWF Chairman?" Trixie suggested.

"She can have Kid Muscle, I don't want him anyway!" Roxanne declared, turning back towards the ring and folding her arms in a huff.

Trixie turned to Kiki, winking at her.

"So Kiki, who won the Black Card match?" she asked her.

"D-Struction," Kiki replied. "It was a crazy fight, but you didn't really miss much. Why is Terry standing in Slyscraper's corner?"

"He's coaching Slyscraper," Trixie replied. "Which could make things really interesting if Kid does have to fight Slyscraper at some point."

"Hey Ricardo, quit foolin' around!" Terry yelled at the ring.

"Stay out of this!" Ricardo yelled back. "At least I am not a coward, like you are! I saw you choke in the preliminaries, Terry Kenyon!"

Terry snarled in rage, clenching his fists in front of his face.

"I would've won that there race, only I done the decent thing!" Terry shot back at Ricardo.

"Yeah, that's right, Ricardo!" Trixie yelled. "Unlike you, Terry's a real man!"

"And I would do the same thing again, cause I know that I did what was proper!" Terry added.

"Unlike you, Terry Kenyon, I am too focussed to let something as stupid as a little boy distract me from victory!" Ricardo coldly replied.

Slyscraper aimed an attack at the distracted Ricardo, but Ricardo quickly evaded the threat, his attention at last drawn away from Terry, who continued to fester in frustration over his own lost opportunities in the Chojin Crown tournament.

"Poor Terry…" Trixie sighed.

"Yeah," Roxanne said softly, touching a hand to Trixie's shoulder. "And I'm sorry for what I said before, Trixie."

"Me too, Roxanne," Trixie said with a smile. "We've gotta stop letting these guys come between us all the time!"

"Totally!" Roxanne agreed.

Kiki smiled in silent relief that her friends had – for the time being, at least – made amends once more.

"Hey, that reminds me!" Trixie said, turning fully to Roxanne. "Shouldn't Jaeger be here?"

Trixie and Kiki looked around themselves, confirming that the only Chojins present were Terry, Kid, Wally, Dik Dik and Checkmate.

"He has to stay in disguise," Roxanne whispered, rolling her eyes. "Ikeman doesn't want the fans to know who the winners of the first round will be fighting until the day of their matches, which is pretty dumb, because we all saw the top twelve in the Three Feet Heat… Anyway, Jaeger had to come in a stupid disguise Ikeman gave him. Just like that other guy from the Red Division."

Trixie and Kiki followed Roxanne's pointing finger to two darkened figures at the opposite side of the ring, sitting several rows back from all the others. Trixie slowly nodded her head, but she could not hide the confusion and curiosity in her eyes.

"So one of those guys in the big red cloak is Jaeger," she said slowly. "I wonder who the other guy is?"

"I dunno," Roxanne replied, shrugging her shoulders. "A Red Division Mystery Warrior. How should I know? He's one of the guys who got a by to the Second Round."

"Okay…"

Trixie soon lost interest in the heavily disguised Jaeger and his associate, her attentions returning to Terry and his coaching duties. Kiki watched the pair for a little longer, unable to draw her eyes from them for some unknown reason.

Both men were wearing long, thick, hooded red robes, which covered their bodies and faces entirely from view. One figure sat straight in his chair, his hands resting on his thighs, and his head lifted towards the ring. The other figure – who looked to be considerably larger – sat slouched in his chair, his head leaned back and resting against his hands. With his arms up in that position, one elbow was almost poking into the other Chojin's head.

Kiki deduced that the smaller of the two must be Jaeger. Jaeger, at 6'1", was easily one of the smallest Chojins; and the other Chojin was much larger. If the larger of the two had been Jaeger, it would mean the other wrestler was only about the size of Kiki; which, she told herself, was impossible.

Kiki began to wonder who the other Chojin was. As Kevin Mask, Kid and Jaeger had all been accounted for already, she decided he would not be a wrestler she had ever heard of before. She smiled to herself as she tried to imagine what sort of creature he might be. So far, she had seen a human photo booth and a walking skyscraper, and the matches scheduled for the next day featured a humanoid toilet and a dragonman.

Kiki remembered then that Meat had been partnered with a humanoid airplane, and that he had also qualified in the top 12, and so the mystery Chojin with Jaeger could be him.

And, Kiki thought to herself darkly, the mystery man with Jaeger could even be the Chojin Marie had raced with in the Three Feet Heat.

Kiki tried not to think too much about it, but she could not stop herself from conjuring up images of Mars finishing the race with Marie, Mars aiming his pinball into a by slot, Mars entering the Red Division, and Mars fighting against…

Kiki turned to Kid Muscle, her face twisting as she imagined a rematch between Kid Muscle and Mars. Kid stood, oblivious to Kiki's watchful eye, one finger jammed up his nostril, the other scratching at his armpit as he stared at Roxanne.

Kiki shook her head in an attempt to shake the concept from her mind, turning her attention back to the ring. But as she watched the match continue, Kiki became aware of a movement at the other side of the ring. Moving her eyes back to the two mystery Chojins, Kiki's eyes widened in shock at what she saw.

The larger of the two had lifted his feet up to rest them on the back of the seat immediately in front of himself. Although the act in itself was not enough to warrant any alarm, it did draw Kiki's attention to the appearance of his feet. Under normal circumstances, his feet should just look like an ordinary pair of wrestling boots. But this was different.

This Chojin's wrestling boots were bright red and pink, and were adorned with gigantic white talons, resembling the feet of a bird of prey.

Kiki heard Marie's words repeat inside her mind. _He bears an unusual resemblance to some sort of bird of prey_.

"Just like Mars…" Kiki muttered to herself, her eyes fixed on his feet.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Sly-Scraper's match against Ricardo draws to a close, and the next day's events kick off with Kid's first match. Kiki sees something unusual (again). **Chapter 13 Seeing Stars**.

**A/N(2):** Have a good New Year folks!


	14. Seeing Stars

**Recap:** D-Struction defeated Photo Pat to advance to the second round. Terry was playing corner man to Sly-Scraper in his match against Ricardo. Kiki thought she saw Mars again.

* * *

**  
Chapter 13 – Seeing Stars**

"Come on, Slyscraper, fight back!" Trixie screamed, grabbing onto the railings.

Terry turned towards her, his eyes wide as he watched her growl up at the fight inside the ring.

"I don't wanna fight a big skyscraper!" Kid wailed.

"The way things are going, Kid, it doesn't look like you will have to," Dik Dik frankly replied.

"I don't wanna fight that other guy, either!" Kid whimpered.

"Well, if you lose your match tomorrow, you won't have to!" Wally reminded him.

"I don't wanna fight tomorrow!" Kid moaned.

"Thou must fight tomorrow, Kid Muscle," Checkmate said. "How else couldst thou win the fair maiden's heart?"

"Fair maiden?" Kid repeated dumbly, looking around himself. "You mean Jacqueline?"

"He's talkin' about Roxanne, you big goof!" Meat yelled at Kid. "You gotta win the Chojin Crown so that you can marry Roxanne!"

"What?" Roxanne barked, rounding on Kid and Meat.

Kid shrank back from her, hiding behind his diminutive manager.

"Uh, that probably didn't come out the way I meant it…" Meat began, smiling sheepishly at the infuriated Roxanne towering over him.

"Oh yeah?" she growled. "Then how did you mean it, huh?"

"I only meant that… That… I was just givin' the kid a motivational pep talk, that's all!"

"A motivational pep talk? So Kid's motivation is me? Is that it? Is that what you all think of me? You think I'm just some object? Just some sort of trophy? Just another shiny object to go on display in Muscle Palace? Well screw you, Meat! And screw you too, Kid Muscle!"

Roxanne turned her back on them, finding Trixie and Kiki staring at her with widened eyes and white faces.

"Can you believe the audacity of that two?" she hissed. "What idiot would honestly think that I would want to marry an idiot like Kid Muscle just because he won some stupid tournament?"

"Gee, I dunno, Roxanne," Trixie nervously replied, glancing down at Kiki.

"Well, it looks like this match is over, anyway," Roxanne added, pointing up at the ring. "I'm going to catch up with Jaeger."

Roxanne turned towards Kid as she deliberately put an emphasis on Jaeger's name, watching him cringe at the sound of her words.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow at the Red Card match," she finished.

Trixie and Kiki watched Roxanne go, before sighing in relief.

"Man, that was close!" Trixie whispered.

"I'll say," Kiki agreed.

"I'm beginning to think we should just let Jaeger have Roxanne," Trixie added. "Kid seems happy with that pink-haired bitch who wears the same outfit every day, anyway."

Kiki glanced at Jacqueline, who was jumping up and down and clapping her hands at the devastating remains of the match inside the ring. Panning around to the next section, Kiki saw Roxanne join the smaller robed figure, who stood up to greet her, confirming Kiki's suspicions that he was indeed Jaeger.

A quick search of the surrounding area told Kiki the other, larger, mystery Chojin had already disappeared.

A blood-curdling scream brought Kiki's attention back to those around her, her eyes falling onto Kid Muscle, who was holding the sides of his head in both hands, his mouth and eyes wide as he stared up at the battered and defeated Slyscraper lying in the ring. Kid leapt out of way as Ricardo jumped into the audience, running towards Meat.

"I'm getting out of here!" Kid wailed.

"Oh no you're not!" Meat warned, grabbing at Kid as he ran past him.

Meat managed to grab onto Kid's belt with both hands, digging his heels into the ground and leaning back to use his entire body weight to slow Kid down. Kid continued to attempt his escape, moving much slower, his belt stretched out at his back as Meat tenaciously clung on. Meat's heels began to drag forwards, scraping against the concrete ground, as Kid struggled on.

Trixie eyed the situation thoughtfully for a moment, before stepping into Kid's path to aid Meat's attempt to halt the prince.

"You can't just run away from the tournament now, Kid!" she pointed out.

"Dang right you can't!" Terry agreed, leaping over the railings to join Trixie in her stance. "I lost my chance for victory here, and poor ol' Slyscraper done lost his too! Now we're all countin' on you to win this one for us, Kid!"

"I don't wanna fight Ricardo!" Kid wailed.

"You might not have to, Kid!" Dik Dik reminded him.

"And besides, Kid, you gotta fight on!" Meat said, his voice strained as he continued to hold Kid back. "Think about Roxanne! If you give up now, Jaeger could win the tournament, and then Roxanne will marry him instead of you!"

"I can see why Roxanne got so pissed…" Kiki muttered.

"Meat does have a point, though," Trixie said loudly, shooting a warning glare at Kiki. "Roxanne still loves Kid Muscle so much, and she really misses him. The only reason she's seeing Jaeger is because she's confused. It really hurt her feelings when King Muscle rejected her like that. Come on, Kid, you have to fight on! To prove yourself to your father, and for the love you have for Roxanne! We all believe in you, Kid! You can do this"

"But Jacqueline told me I was just being stupid," Kid moaned, ceasing his attempts to escape.

Meat slipped and lost his balance at the sudden lack of pressure, falling against the steel railings as he tried to steady himself.

"Jacqueline?" Kiki spat, narrowing her eyes at the famous McMadd as she sauntered out of the stadium. "You told Jacqueline you were fighting in the tournament to win Roxanne's love?"

"Yeah, why?" Kid asked innocently.

"Damn!" Kiki muttered, shaking her head. "Trixie, we need to talk. Now!"

Kiki hurriedly marched off, relieved that Trixie followed her unquestioningly. She led Trixie back inside the arena to the poster she had passed on her way in.

"Look!" she said, pointing up at the poster of Kid Muscle.

"Yeah, so? What does it mean?" Trixie asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"It means the McMadds are advertising Kid's relationship problems with Roxanne to spice up the Ikeman Chojin Crown! They're exploiting the fact that Kid needs to win to impress his father and to be able to marry Roxanne! It's like they're turning the Chojin Crown into some sort of cheesy soap opera! This is a complete disaster! Roxanne will totally lose it if she sees this!"

"It's not Roxanne I'm worried about," Trixie said, wincing as the implications of the poster set in. "What's King Muscle gonna say?"

The girls both exchanged looks of anxious concern.

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow," Kiki eventually said. "When "Kid Muscle – The Reason" goes on sale…"

* * *

Kiki slowly opened her eyes, her mind taking longer than seemed necessary to register where she was. As a series of ballet trophies and a set of pink frilly curtains came into focus, she quickly shut her eyes again, groaning loudly. She slapped a hand over her closed eyes, trying to make sense of life.

In those precious moments between sleep and full consciousness, she felt the last traces of her dreamworld slip away, her mind struggling to hold onto the last remaining threads of the sometimes vivid, but always so surreal, images that haunted her hours of rest. Although Kiki often daydreamed about various things, she rarely dreamt about anything sensible when she was asleep; and so the series of unusual dreams she had been experiencing of late stood out as abnormal.

The last time she could remember dreaming so much was at a time when she had overslept most days; a result of the bout of depression she had suffered after learning of Mars's death.

Kiki slowly opened her eyes, her eyebrows drawing together into a frown. Not only was this a repeat of the amount of dream activity from that time in her life, but the content of the dreams themselves was also extremely familiar. As the final vestiges of sleep dropped away from her, Kiki found herself remembering that she had spent a lot of time lately thinking about Mars; but mainly because she kept thinking she had heard him, or seen him, or that someone was talking about him somewhere.

Kiki sat up, looking around her old bedroom. Although it was less than ideal to be living with her parents again, she had accepted it as only a temporary measure until she found a good job. But now she found herself thinking that perhaps being in that room was even worse than she had anticipated, as it invoked more than a few vivid memories of her brief relationship with Mars.

Kiki reached both hands up to her head, dragging her fingers through her hair. She idly turned towards her bedside alarm clock, wondering how much longer she had before her offensively loud alarm would start blaring at her side to alert her it was time to get up and get ready for Kid Muscle's match.

Kiki froze, squinting at her clock in disbelief. It read ten past ten, but that seemed impossible. She had gone to bed just after eleven, and the clock had said as much then, so it was not possible that the clock had stopped somehow during the night. Her alarm was set for eight, but it had not gone off yet.

Kiki grabbed up the clock, which was a large, plastic, lilac Eeyore clock she had been gifted many, many years ago, and had always relied on during her life at home with her parents. She glared at it for a moment, before lifting it to her ear to listen carefully to it. It was still ticking, and when she pulled it down in front of her face again, she could physically see the second hand moving round.

She could also see that the alarm was still set for eight o'clock.

"But that's impossible…" she muttered, lifting her eyes from the clock in confusion. "I never sleep through an alarm! And I'm still really, really tired! I can't possibly have been asleep for eleven hours!"

Kiki turned to her window thoughtfully. She replaced the clock to its rightful place on her bedside table, standing up from her bed. Stretching her arms above her head, she approached the window. She pulled open the curtains, freezing for a moment at what she found.

Outside, her mother was mowing the front lawn, and her father was snoozing in a hammock suspended between the two largest trees at one side of the garden. Beyond them, a group of pre-teenage boys were playing street hockey, dressed in shorts and T-shirts, enjoying the warmth of the summer sun, which was high in the sky.

"Holy crap!" Kiki gasped, running to her bedroom door.

She tore it open, running out into the hall, stumbling abruptly to a halt as she almost ran right into something.

"Hey, sleepy head!" her sister greeted her sarcastically. "What's wrong with you? You slept through your alarm clock, which was going off for like half an hour this morning, and you slept through your damn cell phone!"

"My cell phone?" Kiki echoed.

Kiki ran back into her room, looking around herself desperately as she began to panic. As she eventually sighted her phone, she quickly swiped it up, her eyes widening as she read the display.

"You have fifteen missed calls?!" she read aloud.

"Aren't you meant to be going to that Trojan Crown thing today, Kiki?" her sister asked her.

"Yes!" Kiki wailed.

"Well good luck," her sister scoffed as Kiki ran across the hall into the bathroom. "I hear Kit Muscle has already lost to some guy named Hollywood Role?"

Kiki yanked open the bathroom door and leaned out into the hall to stare at her sister.

"What?" she said.

"I dunno, I wasn't really listening, wrestling bores the crap out of me," her sister replied, shrugging her shoulders. "But listen, if you need to get downtown in a hurry, take my car, yeah? I'm staying here for a few days, anyway."

"Thanks!"

"No problem, Dreamer!"

* * *

Kiki ran into the arena, skidding to a halt as she suddenly realised that she was running through an inch of water. Looking down at her feet, Kiki frowned in bemusement, lifting each of her feet in turn, watching the water drip off the soles of her shoes. 

She slowly sniffed at the air around herself, her nose scrunching up at the distinctive aroma invading her senses. It smelt as though a toilet somewhere had overflowed, the smell of bleached water wafting up from the river beneath her feet.

Kiki tip-toed onwards, becoming more and more alarmed as she progressed. It seemed the entire arena floor was covered with a substantial layer of water. As she neared the exit leading to the outdoor stadium, Kiki saw a figure approaching. Instantly recognising who it was, Kiki leapt to one side, pressing herself into an alcove in the wall to silently watch the person pass.

Kiki almost wanted to laugh at what she saw; Jacqueline McMadd marched past her, her heeled boots clicking and splashing against the flooded concrete floor. Jacqueline was drenched from head to toe, her cerise hair plastered to the sides of her head and down her back. She held her head up high and tried to walk on with an air of dignity; but with her current, dishevelled, appearance, the effect was completely lost.

Kiki stepped forwards, smiling to herself absent-mindedly. She turned towards the exit again, only to thump herself back into the alcove as a giant, darkened figure swept towards her. Kiki held her breath, her entire body stiffening as she watched the giant figure, dressed in a full-length, red, hooded robe swiftly walk past her, heading towards the main exit of the arena.

Kiki watched the mysterious figure go, stepping forwards to frown curiously at what she saw. The hood of the robe seemed to stand up to an unusual height above the shoulders of the person, and it seemed to almost form a point towards the back of his head. Lowering her eyes to the ground, Kiki watched the stranger's feet, narrowing her eyes as she caught glimpses of red and pink boots.

Kiki stepped out of the alcove, clutching onto her handbag nervously at her shoulder as she watched the feet of the retreating Chojin. Those boots: were they exactly the same as Mars's? Was the mystery Chojin Mars? Marie's partner in the Three Feet Heat, Kevin's choice of distraction for Dik Dik in the Ha! Made You Look contest, had they all really been Mars?

Kiki slowly lowered her head, but was unable to draw her eyes from the mystery wrestler. She had never truly resigned herself to accepting the fact that Mars had really died at the hands of the DMP, and she had, many times before, clung onto even the smallest of hints that he could have somehow survived. Kiki wondered if this was just another one of those moments, another trick of her mind. Another time when her heart, which desired something so badly, was making it seem real to her mind.

"Vait!"

Kiki spun around at the sound of a familiar voice, finding another red-robed wrestler jogging into the arena from the outdoor stadium. This Chojin, however, had his hood pulled down and hanging down his back, exposing his head and face.

"Six!" he yelled, slowing down as the mystery Chojin shoved open the main door to the arena, barging out of it, leaving an irate Jacqueline McMadd in his wake.

"I vanted to know vhy…" Jaeger said weakly.

Kiki turned back to the entrance, watching as Jacqueline kicked open the door, marching out in a fit of rage.

"Kiki!"

Kiki turned back to Jaeger as he said her name, finding him staring at her with wide eyes.

"Hi, Jaeger," she said softly.

"Vot are you doing here?" he asked urgently.

"I came here to see Kid Muscle fight Hollywood Bowl!" Kiki quickly replied, almost feeling as though she was defending herself from some sort of accusation.

"But ze match is over!" Jaeger said, frowning at her. "Ze match started almost two hours ago! Did you get lost?"

"Something like that, yeah…" Kiki slowly replied. "Say, Jaeger?"

"Ja?"

"Who was that that just passed by here?"

Jaeger looked up at the doors at the end of the arena, his face flickering into an expression of shock for a moment, before going completely blank.

"Zhat vas Mystery Varrior Red Number Six," he said plainly, turning to Kiki. "Like me, he got a by to ze second round of ze Red Division."

"I see," Kiki said, nodding her head. "Mystery Warrior Red Number Six, huh? And what's his real name?"

"His real name?" Jaeger asked, his face twitching slightly as he tried to maintain his blank expression.

"Yeah," Kiki said, slowly nodding her head. "Like how you are Mystery Warrior Red Number Five, but your real name is Jaeger."

"Ja… Vell, his real name is… Zhat is, ze real name of Mystery Warrior Red Number Six is… Six…"

"Six? His name is Six?"

"Ja."

"What sort of a name is that?"

"I don't know."

Kiki opened her mouth to question Jaeger further on the subject, but he held up a hand to silence her.

"I'm sorry, excuse me please, Kiki," he said, before running off towards the main doors.

Kiki watched him leave with a sigh of frustration. When she turned back to the stadium entrance, she could see the audience slowly milling out of their seats. Kiki quickly slipped outside before they reached the bottleneck of the arena entrance, hurrying over to the ringside seats Roxanne, Trixie and the Muscle Leaguers were occupying.

"Kiki!" Roxanne yelled as she sighted Kiki's approach. "Where have you been, I've been so worried about you!"

Roxanne ran through the seats and fans, meeting Kiki at the railings at the opposite side of the ring from the others.

"I kept trying to call you, but you were never answering your phone!" Roxanne greeted her. "I even tried calling your parents' house, and your sister answered the phone. She said she thought you might be dead, since you slept through your alarm and all my phone calls! Kiki, are you alright?"

"I'm sorry Roxanne! And I'm sorry I missed Kid's match!" Kiki quickly apologised. "My sister's staying at my parents' with her husband just now, so things are a bit hectic at home. I guess I just lost track of time. So, did he win?"

"Kid? Yeah, he did! He did good!"

"Oh really?"

Kiki smiled at Roxanne, who shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Just because he won his first round match, doesn't mean I want Kid back, Kiki!" she drawled. "And besides, I've got Jaeger now! Which is just what I was about to do. After the match, Jaeger just got up and left, like he was in a hurry… Did you see him at all on your way in?"

"Yeah, but first, you gotta tell me, why is everyone – including you and Jacqueline McMadd – soaking wet?"

"Long story! There was a bit of a flood. Nothing too major, so no need to worry. So did you see Jaeger?"

"Yeah, he went after Mars."

Roxanne slowly narrowed her eyes at her friend as she waited for Kiki to correct herself. When Kiki remained silent, and her cheerful smile remained steadfast, Roxanne awkwardly cleared her throat, struggling to think of the right words to use to approach correcting Kiki's mistake.

"You mean he went after Six?" Roxanne pressed.

"That's what I said!" Kiki cheerfully replied. "He went after Six!"

"That's not what you said the first time, Kiki," Roxanne said slowly. "You said he went after Mars."

"I did? Gee, I don't really know why I said that… Actually, now that you come to mention it though, doesn't this "Six" guy sorta remind you of Mars at all?"

"No Kiki, he doesn't."

"No? Is it… Is it just me, then?"

"It's definitely just you, Kiki. Kiki, are you alright? I'm getting a bit worried about you. The last time you slept through your alarm was when you were depressed over–"

"I'm fine."

Roxanne searched Kiki's eyes questioningly, looking less than convinced by Kiki's conviction.

"I'm fine!" Kiki repeated, smiling sweetly. "Isn't it great that Kid advanced to the second round?"

Roxanne did not answer Kiki, her suspicion still evident in her face.

"Come on, girls, we have to get over to the stadium downtown!" Trixie called to them. "Kevin Mask's match starts in like ten minutes!"

"Hey, it's cool, I've got my sister's car!" Kiki called back, jangling her keys in the air.

"Awesome, Kiki!" Trixie said, giving her a double thumbs up.

Kiki jogged over to join Trixie as she left the stadium, leaving Roxanne behind. Roxanne stood alone, watching the others slowly drain out of the stadium, all chatting joyously amongst themselves. The last person to leave was Kid Muscle, who was trailing behind the others, his shoulder slouched, looking tired from his challenging match.

As he reached the exit, Kid glanced over her shoulder, doing an exaggerated double-take as he saw Roxanne standing alone watching him leave. He stopped, straightening himself up as best he could, grinning at her and waving a hand.

"Hi, Roxanne!" he called to her.

"Hi, Kid," she called back, unable to force a smile even for the prince's benefit.

"Hey Roxanne, you look sad!"

"Yeah…"

Roxanne turned her back on Kid, dropping down into a chair in the front row, hanging her head low. She heard Kid pick his way through the stands to her side, hanging her head lower as his shadow fell over her.

"Roxanne?" he said gently, squatting down by her side. "Are you okay?"

"I'm worried, Kid," she said quietly, watching her hands as she spoke.

"You don't have to worry Roxanne!" Kid assured her. "My mom said the flatulence problem I have usually skips a generation! It didn't in my case, or my dad's, but it might do for our children!"

Roxanne turned her head towards Kid, her jaw set as her anger began to rise.

"You know Kid, not everything in life is all about you," she said, before standing abruptly.

Kid quickly stood up in front of her, blocking her exit.

"I know that, Roxanne," he solemnly said. "I was just trying to cheer you up! I'm sorry."

Roxanne opened her mouth with the intention of further berating Kid, but the hurt expression on his face made her stop. Her face slowly dropped, and she found herself reaching out a hand to his shoulder. At the sensation of her touch, Kid quickly met her eyes, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

"Let's go watch Kevin Mask, yeah?" she said softly.

Kid's smile faded again, and he hung his head.

"Yeah, let's go watch the wonderful Kevin Mask," he grumbled.

Roxanne's hand slid from Kid's shoulder as he turned away from her, and slowly walked towards the exit, dragging his feet as he went. Roxanne sighed, following after him at a distance.

"If only you understood, Kid," she whispered under her breath. "But I guess you'll never know how much I really love you."

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** The last first round match is held, and it's Kevin Mask vs. Chijimi Man. Roxanne begins to worry about Kiki, who seems to be hallucinating. **Chapter 14 - Old Allies**. 


	15. Old Allies

**A/N:** My storyline is starting to deviate from the show again here, as I have switched around the placings for the second round slightly. Die-hard fans will notice the changes in numbers and match orders, etc, but hopefully it will all make sense.

The more observant readers will probably have already guessed what my shuffled matches will be for the second round.

**Recap:** Ricardo defeated Slyscraper and Kid defeated Hollywood Bowl allowing both to advance to the second round. Kiki is sure she saw Mars again.

* * *

**  
Chapter 14 – Old Allies**

"This is ridiculous!" Dik Dik declared, raising his chin defiantly.

"You can't just tell the McMadds what to do, Dik Dik!" Wally quickly reminded the gazelle.

"Indeed, Dik Dik," Checkmate agreed. "Thou art must calm down!"

"Hey guys, what's happening?" Kid Muscle asked the trio as he and Meat joined them.

"Kevin Mask hasn't shown up for his match," Wally explained. "He's almost two hours late, and Dik Dik thinks he should take Kevin's place in the tournament!"

"And indeed we hath told Dik Dik he is not prepared to participate in the Chojin Crown!" Checkmate added.

"Well I guess if they have to pick someone else to take Kevin's place, won't they just take the guy who finished thirteenth in the Three Feet Heat?" Kid asked.

"No!" Dik Dik barked. "I was Kevin's opponent for the first preliminary contest, therefore I am the logical choice to replace him! Were it not for him beating me then, I would be fighting here today and now!"

"Hey Dik Dik, have you seen Chijimi Man?" Wally asked. "He's a tough guy! You wouldn't stand a chance against him!"

"Wally's right, Dik Dik!" Meat added. "Chijimi Man worked real hard to get where he is, you wouldn't be fit for him now!"

"Work?" Dik Dik scoffed, glaring down his nose at Meat. "This so-called "work" Chijimi Man did was an intense Potato Sack Race, a competitive game of Tiddlywinks and a vicious game of Rock, Paper, Scissors! I could do any of those things, and I could do them far better than Chijimi Man any day! I was the top of my graduating class at the Hercules Factory four years ago!"

"Oh yeah?" Kid challenged, snickering to himself. "Let's see if you can beat me at a vicious game of Rock, Paper, Scissors then, Double D!"

"Certainly!" Dik Dik agreed.

Kid promptly defeated Dik Dik, choosing scissors to Dik Dik's paper.

"And me!" Wally chirped.

Wally then beat Dik Dik, choosing paper to Dik Dik's rock.

"And me!" Checkmate said, stepping forward.

Again, Checkmate defeated Dik Dik, chosing rock to Dik Dik's scissors.

"And me!" Meat said, jumping and down.

Dik Dik snarled in frustration as he was beaten yet again.

"Alright, you've proved your point!" Dik Dik wailed, turning his back on them. "I shall never live down the shame of this! What sort of method of deciding world champions is that, anyway?"

"So where is Kevin Mask?" Kid asked no-one in particular. "Did he chicken out?"

"Kevin Mask doesn't "chicken out" of anything, Kid Muscle!" Trixie snapped as she and girls joined the gang.

"Yeah Kid, you're the only one who runs away from a fight," Roxanne added. "I've always thought it was appropriate that you have a yellow stripe on that wrestling gear you wear that runs all down your back!"

"Hey, check it out, y'all!" Terry said, walking past the others to focus his attention on the ring. "Looks like ol' Ikeman's about to make himself a speech!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I, Ikeman McMadd, apologise for this delay in the proceedings of the Ikeman Chojin Crown!" Ikeman announced. "As two hours have now passed since the scheduled start time of this match-up, I am left with no other choice but to take action. I, Ikeman McMadd, hereby disqua–"

"Wait!"

Ikeman stopped, mid-sentence, turning towards the aisle. A gasp rippled through the audience as the waves of people turned towards the two figures approaching the ring.

"Oh my God, what happened to Kevin Mask?" Roxanne gasped, looking up at the giant monitor that was displaying an extreme close-up of Kevin's masked visage.

"He looks like he's just finished a fight, not about to start one!" Trixie wailed.

The others all watched on intently as a group of IWF officials conducted a hushed argument with Ikeman McMadd regarding Kevin's right to continue with his match.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the final first round match of the Ikeman Chojin Crown, Chijimi Man versus Kevin Mask!" Ikeman sang, grinning as the audience erupted into an almighty cheer.

"Gee, I hope Kevin is fit for this fight!" Roxanne muttered, clasping a hand at her chest.

"Are you kidding?" Trixie echoed. "Kevin's fit for anything!"

"Maybe he'll lose if he's feeling weak…" Kiki schemed, an evil grin creeping onto her face.

"He's so brave!" Roxanne sighed.

"And gorgeous," Trixie added. "I've heard he looks just like Nick Hasler–"

"That's just a stupid rumour!" Kiki snapped.

"Nick Hasler?" Roxanne repeated thoughtfully. "Actually, listening to his voice, and looking at his build and taste in clothes, I think he probably would look quite like Nick Hasler..."

"Except he's taller and he's totally ripped!" Trixie said, smiling to herself.

"Stupid Kevin Mask," Kid moaned, folding his arms over his chest in a childish huff. "I'm better looking than he is, everyone knows that."

Kid watched Roxanne and Trixie from the corner of his eye as they cooed over Kevin Mask, totally oblivious to anything else around them.

"It's all an act, anyway!" Kid declared, turning towards them. "Kevin just deliberately came as late as he could without getting disqualified to get more attention! He's just trying to steal all the fans away from me!"

"I dunno, Kid, something ain't right," Meat mused, rubbing his chin as he watched Kevin near the ring. "Something's different about Kevin Mask."

"Yeah, maybe he forgot to shave his nose hairs!" Kid sneered.

"Kevin Mask doesn't have nose hairs!" Roxanne and Trixie screamed at Kid.

Kid shrank back from Roxanne and Trixie, side-stepping behind Meat for added protection from the fuming girls.

"Something's definitely different about Kevin Mask," Meat insisted. "I can see it in his eyes. Before, it was like he had the intensity of an eagle that spotted its prey, and then swooped down for the kill. Now he just looks like he's lost his will to fight. Like all that's left is… Pain…"

"Maybe it's just gas," Kid suggested.

"Kid, I'm warning you, you better shut-up about Kevin Mask!" Roxanne snapped.

Kid shrank back further, stepping closer to Meat and hanging his head. Roxanne made a frustrated grunt at the back of her throat, before turning her attention back to the ring.

"Ha, he has to forfeit the match now!" Kiki blurted, before she could stop herself, pointing down at the ring.

The others gasped as they saw Kevin collapse. The man supporting Kevin – who was the same man Kevin had been partnered with in the Three Feet Heat – crouched down at Kevin's side, and the two appeared to be exchanging words.

"Who is that guy with Kevin, anyway?" Trixie asked Roxanne.

"His name is Lord Flash," Dik Dik solemnly replied.

The others turned to him for explanation of his knowledge, to which he merely shrugged his shoulders.

"I met him in a gentlemen's club," Dik Dik calmly replied.

"You met a guy called Flash in a guy's club?" Kid echoed, his eyes doubling in size. "Whoa, Dik Dik, I always thought that you liked girls!"

"What?" Dik Dik muttered, frowning at Kid.

"Just ignore him, he's an idiot!" Roxanne assured Dik Dik. "So how does Lord Flash know Kevin?"

"I don't know," Dik Dik replied. "I assumed they met at the Three Feet Heat."

"Of course, that guy was Kevin's partner!" Trixie agreed.

"Yeah, but he's a bit weird, don't you think?" Roxanne asked. "He gives me the creeps!"

Roxanne shivered, huddling her arms together over her chest as she watched Kevin stand once more, pushing Lord Flash from his side.

"He sure doesn't look fit for a fight," Trixie said.

"I wonder what's wrong with him?" Kiki mused.

"I think I know…" Dik Dik muttered.

Kiki turned to face Dik Dik, frowning questioningly at him; but Dik Dik's chin was raised, and he appeared to be watching something at the opposite side of the arena. Kiki slowly turned her head in the direction Dik Dik was staring, finding the VIP sky booth overlooking the arena.

Inside the booth, the McMadd family were sitting in giant thrones along a fully catered buffet table. There was an empty seat in the middle of the table, obviously intended for Ikeman. Either side of the empty seat were Vance and Jacqueline. Vance was sitting back in his seat, eying something that looked like a calculator of some sorts. Jacqueline was sat forwards, her elbows resting on the table, her chin supported on her upturned palms.

At either end of the table sat two cloaked figures. At Vance's end of the table the two figures wore black hooded robes adorned with the numbers 5 and 6. At Jacqueline's end of the table the two figures wore identical robes, only in red instead of black, and also bore the numbers 5 and 6.

Obviously, Kiki deduced, these were the four mystery Chojins who had acquired a by to the second round.

As she watched the skybox, Kiki saw Jacqueline's eyes occasionally shift to her side, her smirk widening every time her eyes landed on the red-robed wrestlers next to her. Kiki began to suspect that Jacqueline was scheming something, something that apparently involved Jaeger and Mystery Warrior Red Number Six.

"Oh my God!" Trixie blurted, slapping a hand against her chest.

Kiki turned sharply to the ring, her eyes narrowing as she saw Kevin hand his long coat to Lord Flash.

"What happened to Kevin?" Roxanne gasped. "He looks awful!"

"He's nothing but skin and bones!" Wally said, his eyes wide with shock.

"It's probably just another trick of his," Kid said dismissively. "He's just showing off again. He's pretending to look weak so that his opponent will go easy on him, and we'll all think he's great when he still manages to pull off a win!"

"I dunno, Kid…" Meat muttered.

The bell rang to signify the start of the match, and Chijimi Man wasted no time in charging at Kevin.

"I hope Kevin does win…" Trixie said to herself.

"Of course he will!" Roxanne assured her. "Come on, Trixie, he is Kevin Mask!"

"It would be a pretty poor tournament if Kevin didn't even make it past the first round," Trixie pointed out.

"Well, maybe he shoulda just taken that by to the second round!" Terry said shortly. "He chose to go off into the first round! He had his chance to go straight into the second round!"

"Very true," Dik Dik agreed, his eyebrows drawing together as he spoke. "He jumped over to the first round slot, allowing someone else to get the last by to the second round…"

Again Kiki caught Dik Dik watching the sky booth. She looked up again, her confusion growing. Obviously Dik Dik had been referring to one of the wrestlers from the Black Card with his last statement, since Kevin was in the Black Division. Kiki turned her attention accordingly to the two black robed Chojins, squinting at them in the hope of uncovering some distinguishing features to reveal their identities.

Kiki tried to remember the Chojins she had seen crossing the finish line of the Three Feet Heat; but the only wrestlers she could remember who had yet to make an appearance were Jaeger and the wrestler who looked like a cyborg aircraft.

"This is not good!" Trixie whimpered. "Kevin's not getting up!"

Kiki felt a smile tug at her lips at Trixie's words, and she quickly looked down at the ensuing battle, finding Kevin lying by one corner of the ring, where he was being counted out.

"Something's definitely wrong with Kevin!" Trixie continued. "It's like since he started fighting as a good guy, he's lost all his power. It's like he was only strong when he was a bad guy, fighting for the DMP!"

"I guess now that he's fighting with honour, he has to obey all the rules," Roxanne said. "Maybe that's why he's weaker."

"Hey guys, do you think I could be a better wrestler if I became one of the bad guys?" Kid asked no-one in particular.

"No!" Roxanne and Trixie yelled at him.

"I was only asking…" Kid mumbled, hanging his head and creeping behind Meat again.

"Man, if Kevin doesn't get up soon, this fight is gonna be all over, and Kevin's gonna be out of the Chojin Crown!" Trixie said, watching in alarm as the referee's count reached seven.

"But surely they can restart this match!" Roxanne insisted. "Anyone can see Kevin wasn't fit to fight today!"

"He said he wanted to fight," Kiki pointed out, as the referee called out eight.

"If he hadn't said he was able to fight, he would have been made to forfeit the match!" Trixie replied.

"Come on, Kevin, get up!" Roxanne wailed, as the referee called out nine.

Kevin struggled to his feet then, mere moments before the count reached ten. The audience applauded his recovery, and Roxanne and Trixie both sighed in relief. Kiki arched an eyebrow at the girls, shaking her head in silent disapproval.

"I don't get why Lord Flash is so calm," Meat muttered, rubbing his chin as he eyed Kevin's cornerman. "He ain't showin' any emotion at all! He's like some sort o' robot, or something. His student is weak, and he's losing this match, yet Flash is keepin' his cool. Unless of course he knows something that we don't…"

Roxanne and Trixie gasped as Kevin rolled out of the ring, becoming caught and entangled in the ring ropes as he fell.

"What will we do if Kevin loses this match?" Trixie gasped.

"If Kevin loses this match, Kid Muscle will probably win the Chojin Crown…" Roxanne drawled, rolling her eyes.

"Do you think Kid could beat this Chijimi guy?" Trixie asked Roxanne.

"He seems to have a way of beating opponents that seem invincible," Roxanne replied.

"Like how he beat Mars?" Trixie asked.

Roxanne turned to Kiki, who met her eyes, blinking innocently.

"What?" Kiki asked.

"Nothing!" Roxanne sang, smiling sweetly. "Don't talk about Mars around Kiki!" she hissed to Trixie.

"Oh, right," Trixie whispered, glancing at Kiki.

Down in the ring, Chijimi Man pushed himself off the ring ropes, charging at the helpless Kevin Mask, who was still hanging in the ropes at the opposite side of the ring. Kevin's fellow Chojins watching his match all gasped in awe as Kevin began to glow with a golden light. Kevin grabbed Chijimi Man into the Royal Stretch, ensnaring the Korean Dragon in the ropes. As his arms and legs were stretched out, Chijimi Man yelled out in pain.

Despite his bad start to the match, and his weakened appearance, Kevin Mask was starting to gain the upper hand and take control of the match. Kevin flipped Chijimi Man up into the air, leaping up after him and setting him up for Kevin's famous finisher, the Big Ben Bash.

"Oh my God!" Trixie gasped. "Did you see that? He was just toying with Chijimi Man! He just beat him like he was nothing!"

As Kevin Mask rose to his feet in the centre of the ring, raising his arm in victory, Kiki slowly looked up at the skybox, where the three McMadds were standing, applauding Kevin's performance. As she watched, Ikeman hurried out of the booth, presumably on his way back down to the ring to congratulate Kevin on his victory.

As Jacqueline limply clapped her hands together in appreciation of Kevin's victory, she bit into her bottom lip, a thoughtful and devious glint passing over her eyes. Kiki crossed her arms, tilting her head suspiciously as she watched the sister of the IWF chairman eying Kevin Mask.

Meanwhile, Kevin leapt out of the ring, where he was met by Lord Flash.

"Kevin, why did you stand on one finger in the sauna until you fainted right before a match as important as this one?" Lord Flash asked him.

"I was testing myself," Kevin sharply replied, walking down the aisle towards the backstage area. "I wanted to see if I could push myself to the next level, I wanted to challenge my abilities. And I wanted to prove a point to someone. Someone from the Red Division who may very well be my opponent in the finals…"

"Kevin?"

Lord Flash paused, watching Kevin march off ahead of him.

"Kevin!"

Realising that Kevin was not going to wait for him, Lord Flash hurried after his protégé, leaving behind the roar of the sold-out stadium.

"Why was Kevin Mask shining like that?" Kid asked. "Say Meat, does waxing hurt? Do you think if I tried it, I could fight as good as Kevin just did?"

"That glow you saw wasn't from waxing, Kid!" Meat replied. "That was Kevin's inner glow you saw! When times get tough, the inner glow is like an untapped source of power and energy to help you overcome all odds and fight harder."

Meat's face slowly dropped as he saw that Kid had dropped off to sleep whilst he had been speaking.

"Sometimes I don't know why I even bother…" he grumbled, turning his back on Kid.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please!"

The gang turned towards the ring again as Ikeman called for attention. Kid awoke abruptly, looking down at Ikeman in the centre of the ring. He looked up at the skybox, grinning as he found Jacqueline sitting at the end of the table looking thoroughly bored. Kid quickly glanced around the others, checking none of them were watching, before slipping off and heading for the McMadd's exclusive seating booth.

"In three days time, we will be holding the four second round matches," Ikeman continued. "On the first day we will have a match from the Black Card, when D-Struction takes on Mystery Warrior Black Number Five!"

The audience cheered for this announcement.

"On the second day, we will have the second match from our Black Card, when Kevin Mask takes on Mystery Warrior Black Number Six!"

The cheer for Kevin's match was thunderous, showing that Kevin Mask was still the firm fan favourite.

"On the third day, we will have the first match from our Red Card, as Kid Muscle takes on Mystery Warrior Red Number Five!"

There was a small cheer for Kid's match, mainly lead by Trixie.

"And on the fourth day, we will have our final second round match, Ricardo versus Mystery Warrior Red Number Six."

There was a slightly louder cheer for Ricardo's match, but the cheer was not nearly loud enough to drown out the sound of Dik Dik choking on something for a moment, and then awkwardly clearing his throat. Kiki turned to face him, and he quickly forced a smile for her benefit.

"Who do ya think Kid Muscle will be fighting, Checkmate?" Wally asked.

"Methinks Kid Muscle will be fighting Jaeger," Checkmate answered. "Hath Jaeger not been assigned number five?"

Checkmate pointed up at the skybox. The others looked up at the two red-robed Chojins, who were still sat motionlessly at Jacqueline's side.

"Oh no," Roxanne said. "I hope Kid doesn't have to fight Jaeger, that would be awful!"

"Ah, don't worry none, Roxanne!" Terry assured her. "The kid can handle himself! I'm sure he'll do just fine!"

"Let's just hope he does better against Jaeger than he's doing right now with Jacqueline…" Wally dryly commented.

The others looked up at the skybox again, where Kid had appeared, sitting in Ikeman's throne, fawning over Jacqueline.

"Ugh, he makes me sick!" Roxanne spat. "I hope he does have to fight Jaeger, and I hope Jaeger totally kicks his ass!"

Roxanne spun on her heel and marched off, followed closely by Trixie. Kiki hesitated, watching Kid attempt to win Jacqueline's favour. Jacqueline continually pointed down at the ring as she spoke back to Kid. When Kid continued to pester her, she got to her feet, jabbing a perfectly manicured finger at the two Mystery Red Warriors by her side.

As she pointed at them, the two Chojins stood, causing Kid to fall silent, and turn blue with fear. The two black-robed Chojins left the booth, and the smaller of the two red-robed wrestlers – the one Kiki suspected was Jaeger – started after them. The larger Chojin clapped a hand down onto his partner's shoulder, halting his exit.

Kiki edged further forwards, watching the proceedings overhead intently. Kid, Jacqueline and the smaller mystery Chojin were all watching the larger figure, who was moving one arm around in the air as though he was addressing the others. He finished by thrusting one hand towards Kid Muscle, the sleeve of his robe slipping away to reveal his clenched fist and pointed finger, aimed at Kid.

Kid began to say something back; but Kiki's attention was fixed on the arm of the mystery wrestler, which still hung in the air. Around his wrist, at the very base of his hand, was a thick white band. As the sleeve of his robe slipped a little further back, more of his arm came into view, revealing a red forearm guard, edged with white.

"Just like Mars's…" Kiki muttered.

As she watched, Kid fled from the booth in fear, and Jacqueline shook her head, rounding on the two remaining Chojins. The larger wrestler released the smaller wrestler, who took his leave. The larger wrestler let his arm fall to his side, and took a step closer to Jacqueline, who turned fully towards him, smiling coyly as she began to talk to him. It looked to Kiki as though Jacqueline was flirting with the wrestler; but he seemed less than impressed with her efforts.

Only moments after she had begun speaking, the Chojin abruptly held up one hand in front of Jacqueline's face, silencing her instantly. Again his sleeve slid down, revealing a forearm guard that looked identical to the ones Mars had worn. There was a brief pause, presumably as he said something to her, before he turned and took his leave.

Kiki felt herself sigh as Jacqueline did so. Jacqueline grabbed at the table with one hand, grabbing her forehead with the other. She dropped into her throne, looking pale and frightened; not the sort of look Kiki had ever expected to see on the IWF chairman's overconfident sister.

Kiki turned around to question the others on the matter, but she found herself alone. She growled to herself, balling her fists in frustration. Kiki ran off, hurrying after her friends.

Kiki was glad to find Roxanne alone, standing by the gift shop, studying a book she had found there.

"Roxanne!" Kiki said breathlessly, skidding a halt by her side.

"Kiki, have you seen this?" Roxanne asked Kiki, narrowing her eyes as she held up the book she had been looking through. "The McMadds have released a book about Kid. It says he's fighting in the tournament for love. It says that he wants to win so that he can marry me. Can you believe that? I mean, don't they like, need my permission to write stuff like this about me? Isn't this libel, or slander, or something?"

"I dunno," Kiki said dismissively, grabbing the book out of Roxanne's hands and replacing it to the display she had taken it from. "I've got something way more important I have to talk to you about, Roxanne. It's about Mars."

"It's what?" Roxanne echoed, glancing around herself nervously as though she did not want anyone else to hear Kiki mention that name.

"It's about Mars," Kiki repeated.

"Kiki!" Roxanne hissed, glancing around herself again. "We've been through this already! Mars is dead!"

"That's just it, Roxanne, he's not dead!" Kiki insisted. "I saw him. Again. He's in the Chojin Crown. He's one of the Red Card wrestlers!"

"Kiki, you know that's not possible," Roxanne said gently, touching her hands to Kiki's shoulders.

"I saw him, Roxanne!" Kiki snapped, raising her voice defiantly. "He was talking to Jacqueline McMadd! He is in the Ikeman Chojin Crown tournament, I know it!"

"Just like how he was in the Ultimate Muscle Challenge?" Roxanne asked quietly.

Kiki faltered, her eyes lowering to the ground.

"And just like how he was in the Poison Six Pack Challenge?" Roxanne added. "Kiki, you have to stop doing this. Don't you remember what the doctor said? It's not really Mars! It never is! He's dead, Kiki. You have to learn to let go! You only think you can see him, because you don't want to accept that he has really gone!"

"But it's different this time," Kiki said weakly, lifting her eyes to Roxanne's. "This time I really did see him! I swear!"

Roxanne slowly shook her head.

"Kiki, Mars wasn't one of the Gruesome Threesome like you thought he would be, he wasn't one of the Poison Six Pack like you said he would be, and he isn't in the Chojin Crown!" Roxanne said softly. "I promise Kiki, it's all in your head!"

"But…"

Kiki searched Roxanne's eyes desperately for some sign of validation for her thoughts, but Roxanne merely shook her head again.

"I knew this would happen," Roxanne said quietly. "That was why I said I didn't want any more IWF events. I didn't ever want to get involved again, because I knew it would only hurt your feelings. You know, Kiki, I don't think it's such a good idea you come to any more of these matches. You're obviously still hurting over Mars."

Kiki shook her head.

"No, I–"

"Kiki, don't try to deny it! You slept in, you've been wandering around in a daze – I mean, even more so than usual – you've been exceptionally quiet, and you haven't been eating. You're depressed again. I'm even willing to beat you've been having those dreams again."

"I have not!"

Kiki pulled Roxanne's hands from her shoulders and walked on, passing Roxanne.

"Kiki, don't be mad at me!" Roxanne pleaded.

Kiki ignored Roxanne, joining the crowds of fans milling out of the arena. She set her face and raised her chin, trying to remain dignified as she walked out onto the street; but she was unable to stop a tear from slipping from one eye and racing down her cheek. As much as she wished she could have denied it, Roxanne had been right about one thing; Kiki had been having those dreams again.

And the more she tried to avoid them, the more they consumed her hours of sleep.

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** Kiki is haunted by her dreams of the past. **Chapter 15 – The Dreamer**. 


	16. The Dreamer

**A/N:** Do dreams have hidden meaning? I think they do to a certain extent. I think it's the symbolism in dreams that is important. Dreams can also be totally random and weird, but I believe that everything is a metaphor. See my footnote for my explanations of the metaphors I used in this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the song _These Dreams_, Heart do.

**Recap:** Kevin Mask defeated Chijmi Man using his "inner light" in the final first round match to advance to the second round. Kiki confessed to Roxanne that she had been seeing Mars, but Roxanne believes it is all part of Kiki's depression surrounding Mars's death.

* * *

**  
Chapter 15 – The Dreamer**

Kiki sat back on her heels, clutching her Eeyore alarm clock in both hands, studying it carefully. She had three days until the next IWF match, so there was no need to set her alarm to wake her on any of the days in-between then and now; but she did not trust herself not to sleep in again.

Kiki had decided to set her alarm for eight, and try to wake up to it every day, including the day of the first second round match. Although Roxanne had told her not to go back to any more IWF events, Kiki still had her ticket for both second round matches in the Black Division, which would be taking place on the first two days.

Satisfied that the alarm was definitely set, Kiki replaced the clock to her bedside table and then crawled off her bed, slapping the light-switch off. Kiki hesitated by her door, frowning at her own shadow, which was dancing on the wall in front of her. Turning around, Kiki saw the reason why there was still light in the room: she had left a small candle burning in a lamp on her bedside table.

Smiling to herself, Kiki crawled over her bed towards the lamp, watching it sleepily as she wrapped herself in her duvet. She stretched over to blow out the candle, her head feeling unusually heavy as it hit the pillow again. Kiki closed her eyes, feeling that distinctive, unusual and yet familiar sensation of being not in the least bit tired, but being completely unable to fight sleep.

Within moments of closing her eyes, Kiki began to see images of dreams forming in her head, taking over her mind as she slipped deeper and deeper into the depths of sleep. At first, all she could see was the candle that had sat inside her lamp, the small flame swaying slowly back and forth, in an almost hypnotic manner.

As Kiki fell further into her dream, she saw that the candle was on a small brass candleholder, which she could see her own fingers clutching on to. Looking up from the candle, Kiki could see that she was somewhere dark and foggy, the only visible light being that from her small candle, burning away in the candleholder in her hand.

_Spare a little candle, save some light for me._

Kiki then became aware that she was walking, slowly, through a forest. It was night-time and the dark sky overhead was clear; but little of the night sky was visible due to the clumps of eerily white fog that hung around the tall black trees around her.

A twig snapped beneath Kiki's feet, bringing her attention to the fact that she was walking barefoot, and she could suddenly feel the rough, damp texture of every twig, branch, leaf and tree root littering the forest floor as she moved her feet through them. As Kiki became increasingly aware of the cold, damp sensation of walking through the forest, she began to feel the chill of minute droplets of water against her skin, as she passed through a particularly thick patch of fog, obscuring her view of what lay ahead.

Looking onwards through the white mist, Kiki could just make out the silhouette of the trees, and something moving between them, weaving back and forth. She could not be sure if it was coming towards her or moving away from her; the haze was too dense to permit her a clear view of who or what it was.

Kiki lifted the candle up in front of her face, squinting out through the fog. It looked as though the shadows belonged to a horse and rider; but Kiki could not be sure it there was only one horse, or even only one rider.

_Figures up ahead, moving in the trees._

As Kiki continued onwards, the fog faded around her, immersing her into the dark and misty forest once more. But as she looked up at the trees again, Kiki could see that the shadows had disappeared with the fog, leaving her alone in the darkness again.

Kiki looked down at herself, surprised to see that she was wearing a long, flowing, loose-fitting white dress. It looked more like a nightgown than a dress, but something seemed to be telling Kiki that it was a dress she was wearing.

With her sense of touch fully enhanced to her surroundings, Kiki began to gain her sense of smell in her dreamworld. She could smell fresh pine needles, just like the smell of a Christmas tree, as her feet stepped through the carpet of debris on the forest floor. She could smell the dampness of the fog, and she could smell a soft, faint scent of flowery perfume, that seemed to linger around her.

_White skin in linen, perfume on my wrist._

Although the fog continued to blot out much of her surroundings, Kiki could still see the faint twinkle of stars overhead, and the distinctive source of the blue light that illuminated the ghostly clouds of fog around her; the full moon that lingered along the treetops ahead of her, directly above the point where she had spotted the horse and rider only moments ago.

_And the full moon that hangs over, these dreams in the mist._

Looking down at the trees again, Kiki could just make out a dark shape moving ahead of her. She could not clearly determine if it was the figure she had been watching before, but she could make out that it was moving away from her, albeit at a very slow and languid pace.

Kiki suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to chase the shadow, becoming anxious that she may lose it if she did not hurry herself. Kiki began to run through the forest, trying to keep sight of the shadow moving away from her, determined to catch it.

But, much to her frustration, Kiki seemed to be completely unable to gain any ground on the dark figure moving through the trees. The faster she ran, the faster it moved away. If she slowed, it slowed too, only to speed up again as she did. And it seemed that no matter how hard she ran, or for how long, she never grew tired or breathless; which was the one small detail of Kiki's nightly trek through the forest that reminded her it was all just a dream.

_These dreams go on when I close my eyes._

It was just another night, and just another dream. But it seemed like so much more than just a dream. It all seemed so real, from the scents in the air, the chill of the mist in the trees, and the vivid image of the full moon in the sky. Even the emotions Kiki felt seemed worryingly lifelike. She felt frustration and fear as she failed to catch the mysterious figure in the depths of the forest, a feeling that usually lingered on long after she had awoken. Her feelings were so intense sometimes, Kiki dreaded falling asleep; but she had been so tired lately, fighting sleep had been all but impossible.

Roxanne had been right: the dreams were starting again, and so were Kiki's terrible sleeping patterns. It was just like it had been before. Despite the fear and frustration she felt in her dreams, Kiki could not shake her desire to return to the world that existed there, a world so separate from the one she lived in during her waking hours, and yet a world that at times seemed to be a metaphor for something from deep within her subconscious.

_Every second of the night, I live another life._

The dreams had started when Checkmate had told her about Mars's death. The very day Checkmate had informed Kiki of the terrible news she had cried herself to sleep, only to become immersed into the unusual world of her dreams. Before long, she was going to bed unusually early, and sleeping through her alarm clock almost every day, only to spend her lunch breaks and free time napping.

The excessive sleep, Roxanne insisted, was a direct symptom of depression; as was escapism through her dreams.

And although Kiki's sleeping patterns had returned to normal over time, the dreams had never stopped fleeting into her mind when she slept. Kiki had always believed that the dreams would stop, or just gradually fade, as they had been apparently doing. But the Ikeman Chojin Crown had made the dreams return, each one more vivid and time-consuming than the last. It seemed as though the dreams were as frequent and intense as they had ever been, if not even more so.

_These dreams, that sleep when it's cold outside._

Every night, and indeed any other time she slept, Kiki struggled to gain some sort of control over the dreams. She tried to catch the shadows that flitted in and out of her mind, tried to make sense of what was happening. The most frustrating part of it all was that the content of the dreams always faded from her mind as she woke, leaving only that feeling of frustration and emptiness. When she fell asleep again, and fell into the dream again, she was suddenly able to remember every other dream that had preceded it; but in her waking hours, she struggled to remember only the vaguest of details.

_Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away._

In her dream, Kiki had stopped running. She did not think that she was even walking, and yet she seemed to be moving through the forest at a walking pace. She could still hear and feel the snapping of twigs and the crumpling of leaves beneath her feet, and yet she could not sense her legs moving.

In her hand, the flame from the candle wavered and hissed against the cool, damp breeze forced upon it as it moved forwards. It created very little light, even less so as a brighter light appeared up ahead. Focussing her attention on the source of the light, Kiki saw a small cottage standing in a clearing. It looked appealingly warm and inviting set against the dark, foggy forest; but it seemed to change shape and texture as she grew nearer to it.

Kiki soon realised why the cottage was so appealing to her. The dark shape of a horse stood by one side of the little hut, munching idly at a patch of grass in the clearing. Standing next to the horse was the dark silhouette of the rider, who almost looked like The Headless Horseman, dressed in a long, flowing black robe that obscured any clue as to who stood beneath it.

Kiki became aware of her legs again, and she found herself crouching down slightly, creeping up to the horseman. She was certain she had never gotten so close to him as this, and the last thing she wanted was to frighten him off again. Perhaps if she could just find out who he was, the dreams would end; or at least maybe make some sense.

The figure appeared to have his back turned to Kiki, allowing her to get very close without being spotted. However her cunning was short-lived, as the horse noticed her approach, and raised its head sharply, stamping a foot at her. Although she was not frightened, Kiki found herself frozen to the spot and unable to move. The horse whinnied in complaint, then charged off into the trees, fading from sight and sound with alarming speed.

The horseman was left alone, standing in the centre of the clearing. Edging closer to him, Kiki was afforded a clearer view of him, as he was standing beyond the shade of the trees, and his figure was fully lit by the hauntingly blue moonlight. Closer inspection showed Kiki that his robe was in fact a deep, dark red colour, and that it was made of a heavy cloth that looked almost like velvet.

As Kiki took another step towards him, he suddenly became aware of her presence, and turned to face her, pulling something jagged and gleaming from one of the many folds of his robe. Kiki was unsure if it was a small sword or an exceptionally large dagger; but the jagged teeth running the length of the blade made it a formidable weapon either way.

_Is it cloak and dagger, could it be spring or fall?_

Although the mysterious figure was brandishing a fearsome weapon, Kiki felt no fear of him. She was aware somewhere in the back of her mind that the weapon he held had inflicted a lot pain to someone or something, but it did not seem like something she should worry about. So confident was she that he bore no threat to her, Kiki advanced towards the figure, feeling a rush of satisfaction that she had finally caught him, after many years of chasing him in vain.

As she neared him, he walked into a wall of the cottage, dissolving into it. Although it made no sense that he had just walked through a wall of solid red brick, Kiki knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was inside the miniscule house. She walked along the wall he had walked through, reaching a hand out to it as she went.

Much to her frustration, Kiki was unable to touch the wall. It seemed not to exist; and despite the fact that it failed to feel solid beneath her touch, she was also unable to pass through it as the mystery man had done only moments ago.

As she rounded the corner, Kiki found that the next wall of the house was comprised of a large window, the glass of which was decorated with swirls of bright red, which seemed illuminated in the moonlight, contrasting sharply with the black of the forest around her. Without reaching out her hand to test the glass wall, Kiki stepped through it, finding herself suddenly inside the cottage; and shocked beyond comprehension by what she found within.

_I walk without a cut, through a stained glass wall._

Despite the fact that, from the outside, the cottage had seemed to be only about the size of the little hut Meat and Kid lived in, the inside was huge, far too big to rationally relate to the exterior, and it bore an uncanny resemblance to the interior of Marie's house.

The cottage was poorly lit and unnaturally black; but the contents of the house were very vivid. Kiki was in what looked like a sitting room. To her right was a large fireplace, hosting a discoloured fire. Either side of the hearth stood two large armchairs, just like the two Marie had. Beyond the farthest chair stood an extravagant double bed, looking more than a little out of place in what was otherwise a perfectly serviceable sitting room.

To one side of the bed was an open doorway – that appeared to lack a door – leading into a kitchen.

Kiki started towards the kitchen, but the candle in her hand began to growl and flicker violently. She stopped moving, frowning down at the flame. The noise it made seemed to dissolve into a snarling sound, and when Kiki turned back to the kitchen, she found herself confronted by a large, scrawny black wolf, bearing its fangs at her.

The wolf was restrained by a chain leash, which the mysterious stranger held the other end of. The wolf momentarily ceased its snarling to blow out Kiki's candle, plunging the whole scene into unbearable darkness. Kiki had known and fully accepted the fact that the tiny candle had been a source of great light, and that in its absence, she could see very little, other than the shadow outline of the man and the glittering eyes and teeth of the wolf.

_Weaker in my eyesight, the candle in my grip._

"I should kill you because you don't believe in me," the wolf said to Kiki, speaking in Kevin Mask's voice.

Kiki tried to answer the wolf, but was unable to move her mouth.

"You don't believe that I look like Nick Hasler, you fool!" the wolf added. "I fight for honour!"

Kiki tried to answer the wolf, and although she was able to move her mouth this time, the sounds that came from her lips made no real sense, and seemed to only anger the wolf even more.

_And words that have no form are falling from my lips._

"I will win the Chojin Crown!" the wolf insisted, still speaking in Kevin Mask's voice. "And I will marry Roxanne!"

"No!" Kiki yelled, her voice finally speaking clearly and sensibly,

As she reached out a hand towards the wolf, it faded into a black void, and for a terrible moment, everything seemed to be completely black.

Then, as suddenly as the world around her had dissolved, it re-materialised. Kiki found herself back in the forest, with a lit candle in her hand once more, watching up ahead as a lone horse and rider trotted off into the distance.

_These dreams go on when I close my eyes._

It was all like some sort of trap. There was no escape. Not even catching the rider was enough to end the confusion, or even to make any sense of it. Like a private hell inside her mind, Kiki was being forced to relieve the same events over and over, without any satisfactory outcome.

And yet the time she spent running through the forest seemed to consume such an increasingly large part of her mind, she accepted her fate with an unnatural compliance.

_Every second of the night, I live another life._

Kiki ran on, again finding that the shadow was once more able to maintain the same distance between himself and her. But she did not feel or see any need to cease her pursuit. The repetitiveness of the dream was far from mundane or depressing; if anything, the dream still offered the same sweet element of escapism from the real world that it always had.

_These dreams, that sleep when it's cold outside._

As she ran, the wind whistled past her ears, the sound it made morphing into an unusual ringing sound, that made her feel suddenly more frightened. She distinctly felt that the figure ahead of her was going to escape her, despite the fact that, if anything, she appeared to be gaining on him once more.

Kiki ran faster, becoming more determined, fighting against the ringing sound as best she could. The sound was familiar, but she could not quite place it. All she did know was that the ringing was a bad thing. The ringing took her away from him; and she was so close to finally catching him, she could not possible give in to it. Not now.

_Every moment I'm awake, the further I'm away._

Up ahead, the rider seemed to have stopped, and it almost looked as though he had turned his horse to face her in her advance.

Perhaps this time she would catch him.

_There's something out there I can't resist._

The ringing noise was really starting to irritate Kiki, but her proximity to her goal was enough of a distraction to make the unnerving disturbance bearable. She could not give in to the ringing, no matter what. The ringing was a very bad thing, and the figure up ahead was a very good thing. She had to stay on her course. She had to catch him.

_I need to hide away from the pain._

Kiki was getting so close to the horse, she could see its breath forming steam-clouds in the misty air around it. Otherwise, both horse and rider were totally motionless, awaiting her arrival. Kiki became overcome with joy; at last she had caught him, and this time there was nowhere for him to hide from her.

_There's something out there I can't resist._

Kiki began to slow as she neared the horse, her senses delayed to reacting as the ringing noise finally stopped, plunging her into silence, and taking the horseman and his horse with it. They just vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the two trees they had stood between, and a particularly thick patch of fog that lingered around the branches of the trees.

But otherwise, there was nothing, as if the world had been put on pause somehow.

_The sweetest song is silence that I've ever heard._

Kiki was aware suddenly that he was behind her, but her legs were too heavy to move. He was close, but she could not manoeuvre herself to get to him. She looked down to see if her feet were tangled in the undergrowth, but saw that she was free from any visible restraints.

Kiki eventually managed to drag her legs around, watching as the cloaked figure, now without his horse, drifted past her. He appeared to float, like some sort of spectre, across the forest floor, gliding along in a straight line, before arcing around to float past Kiki's back.

_Funny how your feet in dreams never touch the earth._

Kiki tried to move her legs, but this time she was stuck fast. She twisted her neck around, holding up her candle in a desperate attempt to locate the mysterious man. She grew increasingly frustrated that she was unable to move, feeling him slip from her as though she had been holding onto him only moments ago and was now slowly losing her grip of his physical being.

_In a wood full of princes, freedom is a kiss._

He swept past Kiki's other side, the distance between them almost non-existent as he passed. Kiki grabbed her free hand out at him, managing to grab a hold of his hood. She felt her hand and arm cramp and sting as she tried to hold on to the thick, damp, velvety material. Kiki was eventually forced to let go, but not before she had managed to dislodge the hood slightly.

Kiki watched intently as the robed figure turned towards her, her breath catching in her throat as she saw that the hood had uncovered his face and part of the top of his head.

But the man held his hands over his face, obscuring his identity. His head was bald and laced with cuts that looked fresh, but were not openly bleeding.

Kiki tried to move towards him, but her legs were still stuck. A thick chunk of fog engulfed her momentarily, hiding the stranger from her view entirely for mere seconds. When the fog had cleared again, his hands and face had disappeared beneath his hood once more, and he was suddenly much closer to her.

_But the prince hides his face from dreams in the mist._

He was easily within arm's reach, and Kiki could hardly believe her luck. She reached out with both arms, trying to envelope him into an embrace; but her arms closed around nothing but the damp air of another cloud of fog.

Suddenly Kiki was running through the forest again, and the stranger was on his horse, far ahead of her.

_These dreams go on when I close my eyes._

Again, Kiki was forced to return to the beginning of the sequence. Again she was trying and failing to catch him. Again the loop of events went on.

_Every second of the night, I live another life._

But this time she was not alone in her hunt. The black wolf was bounding along by her side. As she turned to it, Kiki saw that its coat was knotted and straggly, and that its ribs were showing along its sides. Something told her it looked that way because it had been in the sauna before its fight against Chijimi Man, and had exhausted itself.

_These dreams, that sleep when it's cold outside._

Perhaps with the help of Kevin Mask the wolf Kiki could catch the rider. But was he helping her? Looking at the wolf again, Kiki could not even be sure if the wolf was running with her or chasing her. She sensed a tension between the wolf and herself, but she felt that if she could reach the rider, she would be safe from the wolf.

The rider had control of the wolf.

_Every moment I'm awake, the further I'm away._

"I can help you, but you won't let me," the wolf called to her, still talking in Kevin Mask's voice.

"Go away!" Kiki called back.

"Let me help you," the wolf pleaded. "I am indebted to you."

"Leave me alone, Nick Hasler!" Kiki snapped.

"I should have told you about Mars," the wolf continued. "I should have told you that he worked with me at MacDonald's."

"I don't like MacDonald's burgers anyway!" Kiki said.

"But neither do I, I prefer cow and rice."

"Well then maybe you should marry Roxanne!"

"I don't think I could do that, King Muscle might be upset if I did."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"I should have stayed at MacDonald's. The pay was poor, but the company benefits were good. Mars always liked the deep fried apple pie best of all."

"But I don't like the apple pie."

"Neither do I. Maybe we should just have some extra fries with our order."

"But I don't like salt."

"I like seawater."

"I love the beach."

"Then we should go to the beach."

"But I have to catch Mars."

"We could catch a bus instead, perhaps?"

"But dogs can't ride on the bus, you wouldn't get on."

"I would get on, but I would have to pay a child's fare."

"But you're too big to be a child."

"But I have four legs."

The wolf darted off suddenly, disappearing from Kiki's view, and leaving her once more alone to pursue the mysterious stranger. But she could no longer see him ahead of her, and she was aware that she had lost her candle. All the running she had done was suddenly taking its toll on her, and she was forced to stop, her heart thundering in her chest as she heaved in air through her nostrils, the hissing sound of her breathes even louder to her ears that the sound of her increasing heartbeat.

Kiki paused, aware suddenly that she was laying flat on her back with her eyes closed. She listened carefully to her surroundings, but nothing seemed to make sense. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, blinking to focus on what she saw.

Slowly surveying her surroundings, Kiki realised that she was in her bedroom, in her parents' house, and it had all just been another dream; the finer details of which were already fading from her memory.

Kiki slowly sat up, groaning as a rush of pins and needles raced down the arm she had been partially lying on in her sleep. She casually grabbed at her alarm clock with her good arm, pulling it in front of her face. With her other hand, which was still stinging slightly, she smoothed her hair back from her face, blinking down at the clock in her hand.

"What the…?" she groaned.

Kiki stepped out of her bed and tore open her curtains groaning again as intense white sunlight stung the backs of her eyes.

"I guess that's gotta be a new record," she muttered to herself as she looked down at the clock face again. "11:35. Overslept by three hours and 35 minutes. Total amount of sleep: thirteen hours and five minutes. And I'm still tired…"

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** The second round of the Chojin Crown kicks off with D-Struction vs. Mystery Warrior Black Number Five. Kevin Mask finds another reason to push himself to the next level in the Ikeman Chojin Crown. **Chapter 16 – Flying High**. 

**A/N(2):** Why this chapter played out the way it did:

1. The video for this song, combined with my perception of what the video of the song should have been lead to the main location and events in the dream.

2. The colour black in a dream represents mourning a loss of something, hence the abundant use of the colour black.

3. The fog is mainly there because of point number 1, but also because it represents that something is clouding Kiki's perceptions of Mars.

4. The colour white in a dream represents innocence and naivety, aspects of Kiki's character.

5. The colour red in a dream can represent love, lust or blood. All of which are relevant to this case, really.

6. The idea of Kiki chasing Mars and never catching him is merely a metaphor for what she is doing in her waking life.

7. When Kiki gets stuck and is unable to move is again it is a metaphor for the situation she is in. She is stuck and cannot move forward, or even backward from where she is.

8. The wolf represents Kevin (obviously) because Kiki sees him as a "lone wolf". Kiki sees the wolf being restrained by Mars because she still sees that Mars has an element of control over Kevin after making him look and feel bad during Mars's match against Kid Muscle. The wolf is skinny because Kiki is remembering how Kevin looked in his match against Chijimi Man.

9. The MacDonald's reference serves two purposes. Firstly, it shows that yes, dreams are random and insane. Secondly, in a very un-PC manner, MacDonald's is a metaphor for the DMP.

10. Finally, the horse also serves a dual purpose. Firstly, it's there because (for some reason) when I hear this song, I imagine a guy on a horse moving through a forest. Secondly, it's there because to dream of a horse is a good omen, as it signifies good times are ahead; which hopefully they are for poor Kiki.


	17. Flying High

**A/N:** A horrendously long chapter, but I wanted to get all these ideas out under this one chapter name, so…

**Recap:** Kiki is haunted by unusual dreams about a canine Kevin Mask, a forest and a mysterious stranger. What does it all mean?

* * *

**  
Chapter 16 – Flying High**

"I'm going to announce today's match," Jacqueline declared, eying her older brother in way that almost dared him to defy her.

"That's not fair!" Ikeman complained, banging his fists onto the buffet table in front of him. "You shouldn't be allowed to announce any matches! Everyone knows you're prejudiced! You want Kid Muscle to win my Chojin Crown!"

"Don't be ridiculous, brother," Jacqueline drawled, rolling her eyes at Ikeman. "I don't have any preferences for the tournament. That would be bad management. Unlike you and dad, I'm not banking all my money on one wrestler."

Jacqueline flicked her hair off one shoulder, strutting away from the table her father and brother sat at. Ikeman turned to his father, his bottom lip protruding as he screwed up his face.

"No, she's banking her money on THREE wrestlers," he said sourly.

"I heard that Ikeman," Jacqueline warned, without turning round. "And you'll thank me when you see how much money I can make off those three."

"It's not an ethical way to do business!" Ikeman said huffily, folding his arms.

"Who cares about ethics?" Jacqueline asked.

"It's profits that count!" Vance said. "And this idea of your sister's does seem to be paying off, so far! The book about Kid Muscle has outsold any other piece of literature we've ever published here at the IWF! And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Kevin Mask's book is set to sell four times as many copies as Kid Muscle's!"

"It's a stupid book," Ikeman said childishly. "Who cares if King Muscle won't let Kid Muscle marry some stupid little girl?"

"The fans care, Ikeman," Jacqueline smoothly replied. "And the fans pay your wages. We give them what they want. And they want a scandal."

"The polls show that the fans are now backing Jaeger and Kid Muscle almost as much as they're backing Kevin Mask!" Vance pointed out. "And a few days ago, Kid Muscle was driving the crowds away! Now everyone wants to see him fight Jaeger to win Roxanne's love! This is true sports entertainment!"

"Jackie's only doing this so she can get a date with one of them," Ikeman mumbled.

"I heard that, brother," Jacqueline barked. "And I'll have you know you're wrong. I don't need to do this to get a date with one of those three. They all want me anyway…"

With one hand on her hip, Jacqueline marched off towards the ring, leaving her father and brother behind to watch her debut as a ring announcer.

"It's not fair, this is my tournament, why should she get all the glory?" Ikeman moaned.

"Never mind son, once we release these other books, the attention will shift from your sister," Vance assured him. "And the second of our three books comes out tomorrow, to coincide with Kevin Mask's second round match."

"But father, isn't this all wrong?" Ikeman asked thoughtfully. "We don't exactly have permission from any of these Chojins, can we really publish books about why they want to win my Chojin Crown? Isn't that a breach of some sort of law? Something like libel, or slander?"

"Don't be silly, son! We own those wrestlers, and so we own their stories! We can publish as many books as we want to!"

"But technically speaking, we don't own those wrestlers. We only own Kid Muscle. The other two aren't really employed by us."

"But they want to be employed by us, and that's what makes these books so important!"

"I suppose…"

"Just think, son. Maybe a movie director somewhere will want to make a film about this. Imagine the commission we would get on that!"

"A film… Yes… Yes, I like that! A film about me! They could call it "Ikeman McMadd: the Man Behind the Mask"."

Vance arched an eyebrow at his son as a faraway look glazed over Ikeman's eyes.

"I was thinking something more along the lines of "Love, Honour and Redemption"…" he grumbled.

"Yes!" Ikeman agreed, snapping out of his reverie. "We could call it "Ikeman McMadd: Love, Honour and Redemption"!"

"Or not…"

Ikeman sighed softly to himself, having missed his father's last remark. He rested his chin on his upturned palms, gazing up at the sky in wonder. Vance looked rather less pleased than his son, and felt far less idyllic as he watched his daughter step into the centre of the ring to begin her announcement of the following match. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he briefly remembered the glorious days in the IWF when King Muscle was at his prime, and wrestling matches were about the struggle between good and evil, and the battle for championships that truly meant something.

Nowadays it seemed that the whole affair was just about the drama. This Chojin Crown was drawing audiences because his daughter was parading around in an outfit befitting a cheap prostitute, and the personal lives of three of the competitors were more scandalous and dramatic than an episode of a low-budget soap opera. One was trying to make a girl fall in love with him, one was trying to make his father proud and one was trying to earn a place in the Muscle League.

What did any of that have to do with the Chojin Crown, he asked himself?

* * *

Roxanne chewed at her lip and drummed her fingers nervously on her elbows. Her brow was deeply furrowed in mounting concern as she hovered outside the gift shop, glancing back and forth through the exceptionally large crowds gathering in the arena. As she searched the sea of anonymous faces, Roxanne wished she had ignored Trixie's complacency; she should have just gone round to Kiki's house on her way there. 

Roxanne had known Kiki for so long, the very thought of anything bad befalling her friend wrenched at Roxanne's heart. Kiki had tried so hard to pretend she had not been fazed by Mars's death. She had denied that she blamed herself, and she denied that it still tormented her, three years later. Maybe Kiki's charade had fooled others, but Roxanne was far from convinced; she knew Kiki was still in pain, and she knew that, for one reason or another, the Ikeman Chojin Crown had intensified her suffering.

Kiki, Roxanne reluctantly admitted to herself, was slipping back into a state of depression.

Roxanne had tried to convince Kiki not to come with her and Trixie to any more of the IWF matches, but Kiki had doggedly insisted that she could meet them there as always. But Kiki's timekeeping was slipping, something that only ever happened when Kiki overslept. And Kiki only overslept when she was ill or depressed.

Chewing harder on her lip and glancing back and forth more fervently, Roxanne began to wring her hands together in anxiety. The crowds of people around her were starting to dissipate, as people flocked outside to the stadium for the imminent match-up. Time was rapidly running out, and Kiki had neither turned up nor even called to say she was on her way or would be late.

Roxanne began to shift her weight from foot to foot, her eyebrows colliding over the bridge of her nose as her frown deepened. She chewed harder at her lip and pressed her hands together with enough force to tighten every muscle up the lengths of her arms. The longer she waited, the more she thought about the situation, and she more the she thought about the situation, the worse it seemed.

All Roxanne really wanted was a piece of good news; she just wanted to see Kiki running towards her from the snack stand with a tray of food, or from the stadium, saying she had been waiting in the stands all this time.

Instead Roxanne was joined by someone she had least expected to see in the vicinity of an IWF gift shop.

"Yeah, that look you're wearin' is the same one I had on this morning, Roxanne."

Roxanne turned her head so sharply towards the source of the voice, her hair flicked around to slap her in the face.

"I never commissioned the thing, and I'm pretty damn sure the kid didn't, either," Meat said plainly as she met his eyes. "And I know you didn't have anything to do with this. I doubt it was even Jaeger."

Meat sighed, waving the book he held in the air as he slowly shook his head.

"Gotta love the McMadds, huh?" he eventually said.

"The McMadds?" Roxanne echoed, her voice expressing just how irritating his nonsensical interruption was to her right then.

"Yeah," Meat sighed, taking hold of the book in both hands and holding it up close to his face. "I don't know if it was Vance or Ikeman… Come to think of it, y'know, it could even have been that Jacqueline…"

"Jacqueline?" Roxanne snapped, latching onto the one word Meat had spoken that made some sort of sense to her. "What has she done?"

"Well, she probably hired the fiction factory writers to write this piece of propaganda," Meat blandly replied, turning the book around and holding it face-up towards Roxanne.

Roxanne opened her mouth to argue back, but the words on the cover of the book silenced her. Her face slowly dropped, and she took the book from Meat's hands, turning it over to skim through the blurb on the back cover.

"Please tell me this is some sort of joke?" Roxanne groaned, looking over the top of the book at Meat.

Meat slowly shook his head.

"I saw this book at Kevin's match, but I had forgotten all about it until now. Surely they can't release a book about me, not without my permission!" Roxanne protested.

"The book ain't about you, Roxanne," Meat calmly said. "It's about Kid. You just happen to be in it. There's nothing we can do."

"Nothing?" Roxanne echoed. "Nothing? Not anything? Not anything at all? Are you sure?"

"I'm afraid so," Meat confirmed. "But if ya really feel bad about it, you can draw consolation from the knowledge that we ain't alone in this…"

Roxanne followed Meat's pointing finger to two life-size cardboard cut-outs of Kid Muscle and Kevin Mask, each attached to a bin full of flimsy paperback books. Each figure had the words "The Ikeman Chojin Crown" written above his head, and the words "The Reason" written across his legs. Kid's image was followed by the word "Love" and Kevin's was followed by the word "Honour".

"Oh dear God…" Roxanne groaned, dropping the book she held.

Meat grabbed at it as it fell, catching it before it reached the ground. Roxanne walked towards the displays in a daze, her arms reaching out towards the books, making her look somewhat like a zombie from a low-budget horror movie.

"Don't buy anything, we don't want to encourage them," a voice stopped her. "And besides, I've already got both books right here. I got a discount because I bought all three programmes."

Roxanne turned to the source of the voice, her momentary confusion delaying her reaction to who she saw before her.

"Kiki?" she said dumbly. "Kiki!" she repeated, smiling as she finally remembered that she was happy to see Kiki.

"Yeah, sorry I'm late," Kiki said with a smile. "I had to queue to get a copy of Kevin Mask's reason. It actually went on sale yesterday, but they all sold out within an hour, so I had to get here really early and then I had to queue for forever… Anyway, I got both books, I got the new programme and now I just have to get our food."

"Kiki!" Roxanne said again, still grinning at her friend.

"Yeah?" Kiki asked, faltering slightly as she eyed the excessively joyous expression Roxanne still wore. "It's not really that exciting, Roxanne. I read Kid Muscle's book last night, it's mostly pictures and a lot of the text actually refers to Ikeman or Jacqueline, rather than Kid–"

"Oh, Kiki!" Roxanne interrupted her, throwing her arms around Kiki.

Kiki stiffened, her eyes widening in confusion at her friend's reaction. Slowly, she moved a hand around to pat Roxanne on the shoulder.

"It's so good to see you, Kiki!" Roxanne said, squeezing her tighter.

"It's so good to see you too, Roxanne," Kiki mechanically answered, frowning down at Meat for an explanation for Roxanne's behaviour; but Meat was distracted by something else.

"Hey, you weren't kiddin' about Kevin Mask's book sellin' out!" Meat said, holding onto the edge of large cardboard bin with both hands and peering into it. "Hey, it looks like there's still one left down there!"

"Really?" Kiki echoed in disbelief.

Roxanne slowly stepped back from Kiki, turning to watch Meat. First, he reached one arm down into the bin, stretching up onto the tips of his toes and leaning as far into the bin as he could. When he failed to reach the bottom of the bin, he reached his other arm in, and then ducked his head into the bin too.

"Um, Meat, careful you don't fall in!" Kiki called to him.

"Uh, Meat, careful you don't tip the whole thing over!" Roxanne warned.

Kiki and Roxanne winced as both their predictions came true. First Meat lost his balance and slid, headfirst, into the bin. Due to the circumference of the bin, Meat was stuck in a vertical position, and as he struggled and kicked with his legs, he unbalanced the display, which toppled over on top of him.

The bin landed with Kevin Mask's cardboard cut-out in the air, then slowly rolled over until Kevin was lying on his side.

"Meat, are you okay?" Roxanne gasped, dropping to her knees by the bin.

"Never better," he sarcastically replied. "A little help?"

"Right, yeah," Roxanne said, nodding her head. "Kiki, can you help me out here?"

"Oh, sure!"

Kiki held onto the bottom end of the bin as Roxanne grabbed Meat's ankles and dragged him slowly out of the bin. Once Meat was clear of the bin, Roxanne carefully lowered his ankles to the ground and then helped Kiki stand the Kevin Mask display back up. Roxanne pointed to one of Kevin's arms, the one he had rolled onto, which had bent over. Kiki quickly folded it back, yelping as it snapped off in her hand.

As Kiki attempted to reattach Kevin's arm, Roxanne held out a hand to Meat, pulling him to his feet.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"I've been better," he grumbled, pressing a hand to the side of his head.

"But you're not hurt, right?" Kiki asked nervously, as she tried to hook Kevin's dismembered arm over his shoulder.

"Just my dignity," Meat said, smiling at Roxanne.

"I get the feeling today is just gonna be one of those days, y'know?" Roxanne said with a sigh.

She took the arm from Kiki and rested it on top of the bin attached to Kevin's legs before guiding Kiki away from the display.

"Well look on the bright side, guys!" Kiki said as they joined Meat. "At least today can't possible get any worse for us!"

"Um…" Roxanne said slowly, her face draining of colour as she watched something over Meat's shoulder.

"What are they doing here?" Kiki hissed.

"How should I know?" Roxanne snapped.

Meat turned around to see what the girls were talking about, his eyes doubling in size as he spotted two figures walking towards them.

"The kid is gonna go nuts if he knows they're here!" he muttered to himself, rubbing at the side of his head.

"Do you wanna get out of here, Roxanne?" Kiki whispered to Roxanne. "Y'know, before they see us?"

"Why should I?" Roxanne asked, folding her arms defiantly. "I've paid for my tickets, I've got every right to be here! They should be avoiding me, not the other way around!"

"Well, if you're sure…" Kiki said, her face creasing with nervous anticipation of what lay ahead of them.

"Absolutely sure," Roxanne said with a nod of her head. "Never been surer."

"Oh look honey, it's Meat!"

Meat smiled at the woman waving at him, waving back at her as she started towards him, dragging her husband with her. Meat watched the approaching couple smile at him, both looking reasonably pleased. But their happiness was short-lived, as they caught sight of Kiki. Both faltered slightly, their smiles fading. And then they both saw Roxanne.

"Oh!" the woman said, continuing towards Meat alone as her husband stopped short. "I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Ditto," Roxanne replied, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, you know how it is, we just came to see our little Mantaro!"

Roxanne slowly nodded her head.

"So, Belinda, what kept you from Kid's first match?" Meat quickly asked, hoping to draw the queen's attention away from Roxanne.

"We had a few domestic problems," Belinda sweetly replied, eying Roxanne as she said the word "domestic".

"We should get going," Kiki whispered, tugging at Roxanne's sleeve.

"So will you be at all the rest of the matches from now on?" Roxanne asked Belinda directly, ignoring Kiki.

"Oh, I think so," Belinda replied with a smile. "Of course, I really only wanted to watch my Mantaro, and possibly Robin Mask's son, but Suguru insisted on going to every single match. He just loves the thrill of a good fight! And he's so stubborn, I couldn't reason with him! You know how he is."

"Oh yeah," Roxanne replied tightly, shifting her eyes to King Muscle, who was still loitering a short distance behind his wife. "I know just how stubborn King Muscle is…"

"Will you be sitting in the front row?" Meat asked Belinda, his voice faltering as he tried not to show how nervous he was becoming.

"Oh no, the McMadds said we could sit in their booth with them!" Belinda replied. "Are you okay Meat? You look like you've been hit over the head…"

"I'm fine!" Meat hurriedly lied, side-stepping in front of the Kevin Mask and Kid Muscle displays in a pitiful attempts to hide them from the queen.

"What is that?" King Muscle barked suddenly, pointing into the gift shop.

Meat laughed nervously, waving his hands in front of his face.

"Oh, it's nothing!" he said. "Nothing, really!"

"It doesn't look like nothing to me…" King Muscle muttered, marching forwards towards the life-size cardboard cut-out of his son.

The others watched on in an awkward silence as King Muscle studied the words decorating his son's body, before lowering his eyes to the bin of books hanging from Kid's legs. The king took another step towards the bin and reached a hand towards the books. At the same instant, a woman unaware of the others reached out towards the same book. Her hand landed on the book first, and King Muscle inadvertently grabbed onto her hand instead of the book.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she quickly said, turning towards the king. "Oh, it's you…"

"Marie?" King Muscle asked, frowning at her curiously.

"Mom?" Roxanne blurted, turning fully towards her mother.

"Hi honey," Marie greeted her. "I just came to have a look at this book, I heard… That…It has…"

Marie's voice trailed off as she held the book up, watching King Muscle as she waited for him to release his hold of her hand. When he made no attempt to let go, Marie tugged her hand and the book downwards slightly, jerking his arm with it. But still he made no attempt to release her.

"Marie, I didn't know you were comin' here today?" Meat said, stepping forwards.

"Neither did I," Belinda added, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at her husband.

"And you said today couldn't get any worse!" Roxanne hissed at Kiki.

"Well at least now it really can't get any worse!" Kiki offered.

"Mom, dad?"

Roxanne growled at Kiki in a way that made her shrink in fear.

"Mantaro!" Belinda squealed, grabbing Kid into a tight hug.

"What are you doing here?" Kid asked, pushing his mother off of him. "And why's dad holding Marie's hand?"

"What?" King Muscle snapped, grabbing back his hand and side-stepping away from Marie.

"Roxanne?" Kid said as he spotted Roxanne.

"Hi, Kid," Roxanne said, forcing a smile.

Roxanne then rounded on Kiki, scowling at her.

"You and your big mouth!" she hissed.

"But Roxanne, you have to admit, there's no way it can possibly get any worse now!" Kiki tried meekly, grinning up at Roxanne.

"Roxanne!"

Roxanne's face twisted, and she clawed her hands, aiming them at Kiki's throat.

"Roxanne!"

"Roxanne, I think someone wants your attention," Kiki said weakly, pointing over Roxanne's shoulder.

"It better not be Jaeger, Kiki!" Roxanne growled. "Because if that is Jaeger, then things are about to get much worse!"

"Roxanne, ze match has started, vhere have you been?" Jaeger asked, jogging over to Roxanne.

Jaeger skidded to a halt just before he reached her, his eyes locking onto Kid Muscle. He slowly scanned around the others present, before turning back to Roxanne.

"Maybe now is a bad time, ja?" he whispered to her.

"Just a little…" Roxanne said, clawing a hand at Kiki again.

"Sorry!" Kiki squeaked.

"Baby, don't pick your nose, it's not polite," Belinda said, waving a hand at Kid as he casually twisted a finger up one nostril.

"What is this, anyway?" King Muscle demanded, snatching the book from Marie and holding it out towards the others.

"I dunno," Kid replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Roxanne snapped. "How can you not know? It's about you, you idiot!"

"It is?" Kid asked, taking the book from his father to look at it for himself. "Oh yeah! Jacqueline said she was gonna write a book about me."

The others all looked round at each other, exchanging looks of confusion, disgust and anger, before all turning back to Kid.

"What?" Kid asked, shrugging his shoulders innocently. "She said my story was cute. She said she would go on a date with me if I let her write it!"

"She didn't write it, you fool! And she told me she would go on a date with me if I gave her my permission to write a book about me – which I didn't by the way, she just went ahead and published it anyway!"

The others turned to see Kevin Mask join them, glowering angrily at his own display.

"Not that Jacqueline McMadd actually wrote either of those books," he added. "But she did hire the people who did. And for what? Just to sell more tickets and make more money, that's what! Where's the honour in that?"

"Jacqueline said she would go on a date with you?" Kid asked Kevin. "But she said she liked me!"

"She says that to all the wrestlers, you fool!" Kevin grumbled.

"All the wrestlers?" Kid wailed.

"Yes, all of them!" Kevin sternly replied. "You, me, Checkmate, Ricardo, D-struction–"

"But she said she liked me best of all!" Kid cried.

"She likes the winner best of all," Kevin said slowly and deliberately, as though speaking to a complete idiot. "Whoever is winning is her favourite. She doesn't care who it is!"

"She never said she vanted to go on a date vith me," Jaeger mused.

The others all turned to watch Jaeger until he started to turn red, at which point Kevin awkwardly cleared his throat to break the silence.

"Yes, well, we're all missing the match out there," he reminded the others. "And since I will have to fight the winner in the next round, it is important I study how he fights today. Excuse me."

Kevin strode off, his long coat billowing out behind him as he went. The others were watching him leave, but the sound of something dropping to the ground made them all turn back to Kid. Even through Kid's mask the others could see his face was twisting through a variety of emotions. He had dropped the copy of his own book that he had been holding only moments ago, and it now lay splayed over one of his boots.

"We should go," Kiki said, grabbing Roxanne's shoulders and steering her around Jaeger.

"Yeah, Trixie is probably wondering where we are…" Roxanne agreed.

The two girls hurried off towards the stadium, leaving Marie, the royal family of Muscle Planet, Meat and Jaeger behind them.

Meat, who was still rubbing the rapidly forming lump on the side of his head, glanced around himself at the people towering over him, all of who looked as displeased with each other as the last.

"Guess we should go catch that match, huh?" he said, smiling falsely. "Kid, come on."

Meat walked over to Kid and grabbed one of his wrists in both hands, then dragged Kid out of the gift shop. Kid stumbled along behind Meat, watching over his shoulder as Marie sank back into the shop and then Jaeger jogged off towards the upper seating area of the stadium, leaving Kid's parents behind. As he watched them, Kid saw his mother squat down to retrieve the book he had dropped. She shook it lightly, brushed the dirt from its covers and then neatly rolled it up.

Kid frowned, wondering why his mother would want to do such a thing; but he soon saw her reasoning. Meat jerked to a halt as Belinda began to scream and curse behind them. He turned around, his eyes widening as he watched the queen attack King Muscle with a rolled up copy of Kid's book. The king made no attempt to fight back, but rather folded his arms over his head in a desperate attempt to avert the blows as best he could.

Kid slowly turned towards Meat, who looked up at him as he turned.

"Weird," they said in unison.

* * *

"Where the heck have you two been?" Trixie snapped as Roxanne and Kiki joined her. "The match is nearly over! And where's the food? I know there was a snack stand back there this time, I saw it on my way in!" 

"Sorry, Trixie," Roxanne said, sitting down into her seat despondently.

Trixie watched her for a moment before shifting her attention to Kiki.

"Everything okay?" she asked cautiously.

"Kid's parents are here," Kiki quietly explained. "We bumped into them in the gift shop."

"Oh," Trixie said, nodding her head slowly. "I see…"

"And Meat was there too," Kiki added.

"And my mom," Roxanne pointed out.

"Oh," Trixie said.

"And then Kid came along," Kiki said.

"And then Jaeger came along," Roxanne said.

"Oh," Trixie said.

"And then Kevin Mask turned up," Kiki finished.

"Looks like I missed all the fun!" Trixie said, smiling at Roxanne.

Roxanne kept her head hung low, causing Trixie's smile to slowly fade.

"Well the first Mystery Warrior was revealed, you guys!" she tried instead. "But I guess if Kiki bought the programme again she already knows who he is…"

"No, actually," Kiki replied, shaking her head. "The programme still has blank pictures. It's so annoying!"

"Well if you wanna take a look at the ring, you'll see it narrows down our choices for who the other guy in the Red Division might be," Trixie said.

Kiki turned her head towards the ring and even Roxanne lifted her head high enough to observe the ongoing match for a moment.

"His name's Comrade Turbinski," Trixie explained. "You remember, he's the guy who raced with Meat in the Three Feet Heat."

"Oh yeah!" Kiki said.

"What's happening?" Roxanne asked, squinting at the scene inside the ring.

"Well, D-Struction ate one of those pincers off his head, and now he's trying to squash Turbinski with the two that he's got left. But it looks like he can't do it," Trixie explained.

"You think Turbinski will win this one, then?" Roxanne asked.

"I think so," Trixie said. "So it looks like Kevin will be fighting the Comrade in the next round."

"You don't know that!" Kiki protested. "Kevin hasn't fought in this round yet! He could lose, for all you know!"

"Not likely!" Trixie said, waving a hand dismissively at Kiki. "The more I think about it, the more I think it's gonna be Kevin Mask and Kid Muscle in the final match."

"You think?" Roxanne asked, rounding on Trixie. "What about Jaeger?"

"Well obviously Kid will have to fight him in the next round," Trixie plainly replied. "Kid will beat whoever the Mystery Warrior Red Number whatever is in this round and Jaeger will beat Ricardo. I mean he has to beat Ricardo. You all saw how Ricardo insulted Terry! So then it will be Kid Muscle against Jaeger. Personally, my money's on Kid. And Kevin will beat everyone in the Black Division, meaning it's gonna be Kevin versus Kid in the finals!"

"You make it sound really simple," Roxanne said slowly.

"And really boring!" Kiki added. "Why are we even bothering to come to these matches if we already know how it's gonna work out in the end?"

"We're coming because it's exciting, and because we don't know how it will work out in the end," Trixie smartly replied. "Will it be Kid, or will it be Kevin? Love or honour?"

Roxanne narrowed her eyes at Trixie, but Trixie merely returned her look with a smile.

"You have to laugh, or you'll cry," she advised.

Roxanne nodded, forcing a smile for Trixie's benefit.

"Now let's watch the match," Trixie said, pointing at the ring.

The girls turned towards the ring, watching as Turbinski switched his propeller to full speed, slicing off D-Struction's remaining two pincers. As the crowd gasped and D-Struction cried out in pain and shock, Turbinski soared upwards, looping around to dive at D-Struction again. Turbinski grabbed up D-Struction, and flew up again, carrying his opponent with him.

Turbinski then dove back down in his finishing move, the Turbo Tail Spin, driving D-Struction into the mat. D-Struction collapsed and slid out of the ring, leaving Turbinski to stand victorious. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered for the Russian Chojin, who seemed thoroughly nonplussed by all the attention.

The bell rang, and Jacqueline McMadd made her way into the ring, carrying a microphone. Roxanne growled and grumbled to herself as she watched Jacqueline walk into the centre of the ring, throwing one arm up into the air.

"And the winner is, Comrade Turbinski!" she said.

Another, louder, cheer arose from the audience.

"She didn't need to do that," Roxanne muttered. "Why did she just do that? She's not an IWF official…"

"Yes she is!" Trixie replied. "You're just jealous cause Kid likes her!"

"I'm not jealous!" Roxanne roared.

Trixie shrugged her shoulders innocently, whilst Roxanne fumed silently in her own anger.

Inside the ring, Jacqueline approached Turbinski as he left the ring, leaning against the ring ropes to study him.

"Hey stud," she greeted him.

Turbinski tactfully ignored her, leaping to the ground.

"I like a winner, y'know," she called after him.

"I think perhaps you have misunderstood me," he replied. "I come here to fight, not to chase ladies like some other Chojins."

With that he walked off, leaving Jacqueline behind. Kiki, who had been listening to the exchange, smiled to herself in silent satisfaction that Turbinski had not fallen for Jacqueline's charms. Jacqueline sighed to herself and then left the ring again, heading back towards the booth her father and brother were sitting in.

Kiki looked over at the booth, spotting the king and queen of Muscle Planet hovering behind Vance McMadd inside the booth. Kiki frowned for a moment as she tried to place what was apparently missing from the booth. After a moment, it occurred to her that the last time, the Mystery Chojins had been sitting with the McMadds. Perhaps, she told herself, they were no longer attending matches, since they were now appearing in matches themselves.

But then Kiki remembered that she had just seen Jaeger in attendance; and, most importantly, he had not been wearing his disguise. Did that mean that the other Chojins would have dropped their disguises?

"Look you guys, it's Jaeger!" Roxanne said, waving a hand above her head.

Trixie and Kiki looked up, into the dizzying heights of the stadium. Above and beyond the very back row of seats was a walkway, used as an access to the upper seating area. There, sat on deckchairs, were the three remaining Mystery Chojins.

Jaeger sat in the middle, leaning forwards and waving a hand down at them. On his left sat a hunched figure in a long black robe with a large badge on it which read "6". On his right sat a figure in a long red robe, who also wore a badge with the number six on it. The Chojin in the red robe was slouched in his seat, his hands behind his head and his feet propped up on the railing in front of them; the same relaxed pose he had adopted during the first Red Card match between Slyscraper and Ricardo.

And, Kiki noted, he had the same feet, complete with long white talons.

"Roxanne," Kiki said, turning to Roxanne.

Roxanne and Trixie were watching something to one side, their backs turned to Kiki.

"Roxanne!" Kiki said, tugging at Roxanne's sleeve.

"Huh?" Roxanne responded, spinning around towards Kiki.

"Look!" she insisted, pointing upwards.

"Yeah, it's Jaeger!" Roxanne agreed, shading her eyes from the sun with one hand and waving at Jaeger again with the other.

"Not Jaeger," Kiki explained. "The guy next to him!"

"Who?" Roxanne asked, cupping both hands over her eyes as the sun appeared from behind a cloud, blinding her view of Jaeger.

"Up there!" Kiki insisted, turning to look again for herself.

But as they squinted against the sun, neither girl could make out anything. Before long, another cloud swept over the sun again, giving them a clear view if the point where Jaeger had been sitting with the other two figures.

"Oh," Roxanne said, her hands slipping from her eyes.

Kiki frowned in confusion and irritation. All three Chojins had disappeared. Even their chairs had gone.

"I guess they wanted to get out before the rush of the crowd," Roxanne suggested. "What was I looking for, anyway?"

Roxanne turned to Kiki, who was trying her best to hide the disappointment she was feeling.

"Oh, nothing," she muttered. "I just thought I saw the guy your mom raced with in the Three Feet Heat, that's all."

"But you never saw him at the Three Feet Heat, how do you know what he looks like?" Roxanne asked.

"Well, it was just that…"

Kiki slowly stopped talking as she saw Roxanne's face shift into an expression of concern.

"Oh Kiki, you don't still think it was Mars, do you?" she asked.

"No, of course not!" Kiki lied, forcing a little laugh. "Come on, we should try to beat the rush too. According to the brochure, the next Black Card match is being held in a bigger stadium, due to the high demand for tickets. We'll have to get our tickets exchanged and book ourselves onto a train."

"Oh right! Wow, I guess those crappy "reason" books must have worked!" Roxanne said.

"I guess so," Kiki agreed.

Roxanne turned to Trixie to tell her they were leaving, affording Kiki the opportunity to look up one last time at the point where the three Chojins had been sat.

Was it really Mars, or was it just another trick of her mind, like the talking Kevin Mask wolf that worked in MacDonald's in her dreams?

* * *

As they flew to the venue of the next match, Lord Flash studied the pictures inside his copy of _Kevin Mask: The Reason_ with interest, paying more attention to the actual images than the captions beneath them. At his side the real Kevin Mask was wriggling in his seat, grunting and groaning to himself as he watched the little illuminated sign above him that told him to fasten his seatbelt. 

"Are you alright, Comrade – I mean Kevin?" Lord Flash asked, lowering the book to look at Kevin.

"I hate these seatbelts!" Kevin replied moodily. "What difference do they make? In an accident we will all die anyway!"

"I understand," Lord Flash said, nodding his head and lifting his book up again. "Perhaps you should have taken my advice, and gone to the bathroom before we got on the plane."

"What?" Kevin echoed, sitting perfectly still for the first time since sitting into his seat.

"At least we are close to the toilet here," Lord Flash added, nodding his head at the toilet cubicle a short distance behind them.

Kevin turned to look at the toilet and then turned back to his trainer.

"This has nothing to do with me needing the toilet, I'll have you know!" Kevin protested. "Honestly, you make me sound like some sort of irritating child! I am a grown man, and I am perfectly capable of controlling my bodily functions, thank you very much!"

"Alright, if you insist."

"Well I do."

Kevin folded his arms, sitting still. His right leg, which was hanging out into the aisle, began to twitch nervously. He turned away from it, looking left. The first thing he saw was the stupid book the McMadds had published about him. Growling to himself he looked beyond it, out the window of the plane.

Kevin's left leg began to twitch too, and before long, his fingers were drumming at his elbows. The light above his head went off with a ping and he immediately tore off his seatbelt.

"Thank God for that!" he said, his voice louder than he had intended it to be.

"I assume you will be going to the toilet now?" Lord Flash asked, his eyes still fixed on the book.

"Maybe," Kevin replied, his legs twitching violently. "Or maybe not…"

"Ah, quit your whinin' and go already," a voice behind him said.

Kevin stiffened at the sound of the voice, his hands gripping into the armrests of his seat.

"You was always a whiner, Mask," the voice said again. "And a squealer."

A thud at Kevin right shoulder that vibrated down the length of his seat caused him to turn sharply towards the source of the disturbance, his eyes landing on a giant foot. Another thud at his left shoulder made him turn in that direction, where he saw a second foot appear. Lord Flash lowered his book to his lap, watching Kevin curiously. But, although he was facing Lord Flash, Kevin's attention was fixed on the foot mounted between them.

Kevin began to breathe heavily, swallowing hard. He was silently glad that he was wearing his trusty mask, as he was starting to sweat, and could not stop licking nervously at his lips. He was not so glad that he had failed to take Lord Flash's advice, as the combined shock the sound of that voice and the sight of those feet had given him had almost been enough for him to carry out an act that only Kid Muscle would be proud of.

Kevin slowly stood up, stepping out into the aisle and turning towards the seats behind him. His eyes widened at what he saw, and again he nervously licked at his lips and gulped; but luckily for him, both actions went unnoticed.

"Hello, Kevin!" Jaeger greeted him, waving at him from his position by the window, in the seat directly behind Lord Flash.

In the seat nearest the aisle, next to Jaeger, the seat directly behind Kevin's, the other Mystery Chojin from the Red Division was sitting back, his seat reclined, his hands behind his head and his feet resting on the shoulders of Kevin's seat.

"I guess some people never learn, huh Mask?" he asked, smiling up at Kevin. "You never was good at flyin'."

Kevin balled his fists at his sides as he quickly ran his eyes over the nonchalant form of the Chojin addressing him. He was still dressed in the red robe he had been given by Ikeman to conceal his true identity, but he had rolled the sleeves up over his elbows and lowered his hood around his shoulders. Kevin's eyes locked onto the white circular badge at his neck.

"So you are Mystery Warrior Red Number Six?" Kevin asked him.

"Yeah," he replied, slipping a hand out from under his head to point at his badge.

"So the gazelleman was right…" Kevin muttered.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Nothing," Kevin growled. "Who is your next opponent?"

"I can't say, it's a secret."

Kevin watched as an impish grin crept onto the man's face.

"And unlike you Mask, I do know how to keep a secret," he added, his grin widening, exposing a gleaming set of fangs.

"Arsehole," Kevin hissed, before marching off towards the toilet cubicle.

Kevin tore open the door of the toilet, marched in and slammed the door shut again behind himself. He resisted the overwhelming urge to bang his fists off of something, reminding himself that he would probably seriously damage a part of the plane if he did something so reckless. Instead he turned towards the sink, looking at himself in the mirror.

Slowly he removed his mask, placing it down on the shelf over the toilet. He frowned at his reflection thoughtfully.

"This can't be happening," he whispered, grabbing the sink and leaning closer to the mirror. "This simply cannot be happening. First that stupid McMadd woman releases that stupid book and now this… It's all to sell more tickets. They're plotting against us, all of us! Kid Muscle, Jaeger, me and… Six…"

Kevin switched on the tap, cupping his hands under the stream of cold water. He splashed several handfuls of water over his face before switching the tap off again. As he straightened up from the sink once more, he frowned at his reflection again. He looked just the same, only now his face was dripping wet, and the hair immediately around his face was damp and clinging to his skin.

"This can't be happening…" he growled, grabbing up his mask again.

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** Kevin Mask takes on Blox, who bears the brunt of Kevin's anger regarding a few recent mishaps; most particularly the release of a book he doesn't like the content of. **Chapter 17 – War**. 

**A/N(2):** For anyone reading this who hasn't seen my messages, just a quick status update on this fic. The number of reviews I've had so far is fairly poor for the number of chapters I have and for the length of time this fic has been up. This, to me at least, means one of two things. Either no-one is reading this, or people are reading it and hating it so much they aren't bothering to review. On that basis, I have now stopped writing this one. I still have 2 more chapters mostly completed after this one, which I will finish off and post over the next week. But if I don't get any more reviews, I won't be continuing any further. I had hoped for at least one review per chapter, and right now I have almost twice as many chapters as I do reviews, so…


	18. War

**A/N:** This story now has as many chapters as the first part of the series, and I think it has more words. I hope I'm not irking anyone with the way I am portraying Kevin Mask. I see him almost as a modern day Mister Darcy (the one from Pride and Prejudice, not the one from Bridget Jones's Diary).

**Recap:** (Takes a deep breath) the McMadds admitted they are publishing books exploiting the private lives of three of the wrestlers in the Ikeman Chojin Crown to up their ticket sales, King Muscle arrived to attend the tournament matches, Mystery Warrior Black Number Five was revealed as Turbinski, who beat D-Struction to advance to the semi final round, Kiki thought she saw Mars again, and Kevin met Mystery Warrior Red Number Six.

* * *

**  
Chapter 17 – War**

Lord Flash slowly paced back and forth across the locker room, his hands clasped behind his back. Kevin Mask was punching frantically at a punch-bag, with blows that were certainly rapid in succession, but not necessarily accurate or hard.

"Something troubling you, Comrade – I mean Kevin?" Lord Flash tried, stopping his pacing and turning towards his pupil.

"No," Kevin lied.

"Then perhaps you would like to focus on your training, Kevin," Lord Flash replied.

Kevin stopped short, his breath loud and rasping in the ensuing silence. He slowly turned towards his trainer, tilting his head questioningly.

"You have a match this afternoon, Kevin," Lord Flash reminded him. "I thought perhaps you might like to at least do a decent warm-up before you go out there."

"What does it look like I'm doing here?" Kevin snarled, pointing over his shoulder at the punch-bag,

"Shall I answer you honestly, Kevin?"

"Yes, I rather think you should, Lord Flash!"

"Well, from here at least, it looks rather like you are throwing a little temper tantrum, and slapping aimlessly at a punch-bag."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I think perhaps you would be much wiser to spend your time learning some of those moves we looked at in your father's handbook."

"I'm training with the punch-bag, and I think I'm doing rather well here. I don't want to waste any more time trying out that stupid OLAP move!"

"The OLAP is not a stupid move, Comrade – I mean Kevin. And I think you should do your utmost to learn it. It may be your key to defeating–"

"Yes, yes, I know, the OLAP is my key to defeating Kid Muscle."

"Yes, it could be your key to defeating Kid Muscle. Or it could be your key to defeating that other fellow we met on the flight over here."

Kevin faltered for a moment, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and clearing his throat nervously.

"Yes, well, about that…" he began slowly.

"It's alright, there's no need to explain anything to me, Kevin," Lord Flash assured him. "But I trust you will practise the OLAP now, yes?"

"Yes, I believe I shall, Lord Flash," Kevin mumbled.

"There's a good lad," Lord Flash said.

"Yes."

Kevin smacked at the punch-bag one last time, then followed his trainer to the locker where he kept Robin Mask's handbook.

* * *

"Yo, yo, yo, this is Jacqueline McMadd, and I'm your main lady on the mic today."

"What is she doing?" Roxanne asked, as one eyebrow shot up her forehead.

"I think she's rapping?" Kiki suggested, frowning at Jacqueline.

"Never mind that," Trixie groaned. "Why is she still wearing the same stupid outfit? How many days is that now? Someone seriously needs to give that woman some wardrobe advice…"

"Well I think you're going to have to learn to love Jacqueline's wardrobe, Trixie," Roxanne said with a sigh. "I read that she is taking over the tournament. The popularity polls are showing that she is way more popular than Ikeman."

"Anybody is more popular than Ikeman," Trixie pointed out. "But for the record, I'd much rather watch Ikeman than that… Woman."

"I read that not only is Jacqueline taking over the tournament, but she's renaming it," Kiki said. "It's gonna be the Jacqueline Chojin Crown."

"Oh please!" Roxanne groaned. "How arrogant can one family be? I honestly don't know of any other family with so many assholes in it!"

"Are you sure about that, Roxanne?" Trixie asked, a smirk appearing on her face as she pointed up at the skybox Vance and Ikeman were sitting in, as usual.

Roxanne and Kiki looked up, seeing the McMadds in their usual place at their table; and the Muscle family sitting behind them.

"Man, the whole family are there!" Roxanne groaned. "King Muscle, that bimbo Belinda and even Kid's perverted old grandfather, Mayumi Muscle!"

"And look, there's Robin Mask!" Trixie added, pointing to a figure sitting in the very back corner of the skybox.

"I don't want to talk about them," Roxanne said decisively. "Any of them. Let's just watch the match. Look, Mystery Warrior Black Number Six is about to reveal his identity."

The girls turned their attentions back to the ring, watching closely as the Chojin inside the ring removed his heavy black robe. The audience let out a collective gasp at what they saw.

"He's got a body made entirely of concrete bricks, he is Blox!" Jacqueline cried, holding out an arm towards the Chojin at her side.

Blox, who was eating lumps of something from a giant bag, offered a share of his snack to Jacqueline. Jacqueline frowned up at him, her face twisting into a scowl of disgust as he poured a handful of concrete chips into Jacqueline's hands.

"I hope she eats them and dies…" Roxanne growled.

"You're not jealous of Jacqueline are you, Roxanne?" Trixie asked, winking over Roxanne's head at Kiki.

"No!" Roxanne grumbled. "Why would I be? She's just a total fake!"

Trixie and Kiki exchanged smiles as Roxanne continued to mutter to herself even after she had bitten into her burger.

Inside the ring, Jacqueline dropped the concrete chips Blox had given her, wiping her hands off on her thighs. Blox was oblivious to her rejection, and he merely continued munching on the lumps of concrete. Jacqueline shook her head at him and then continued her attempt at a rap to introduce Kevin Mask. The fans cheered so loudly for Kevin's entrance, most of Jacqueline's rap was drowned out; leaving most fans wondering if they were cheering loudly for Kevin, or to cover over the horrid noise Jacqueline was making.

As Kevin stepped up onto the ring apron, Jacqueline approached the ropes, smiling seductively at him. They stood that way for a moment, on either side of the ropes, watching other silently. The moment only ended when Jacqueline was distracted by the sound of Blox crunching into the turnbuckle behind her, and Lord Flash stepped up beside Kevin, distracting him from Jacqueline.

The sight of Blox snacking on the turnbuckle was enough to drive Jacqueline from the ring. Lord Flash patiently held the top and middle ropes apart whilst she climbed out, watching her carefully as Kevin leapt into the ring behind him. Lord Flash watched Jacqueline walk back up the aisle, only turning away when Kevin called on him.

"Give me my father's armour, Lord Flash!" Kevin said.

"Certainly Comrade – I mean Kevin," Lord Flash agreed.

"Ooh, look at that!" Meat whispered as he watched Lord Flash drop Robin Mask's armour onto Kevin's shoulders.

"It just looks like some old armour to me," Kid said, shrugging his shoulders. "What's so special about it, Meat?"

"That's the same armour Robin Mask wore when he fought to the final match of the Chojin Crown!" Meat explained.

"Oh," Kid said, nodding his head.

"Don't you see the significance in that, Kid?" Meat asked, turning to face Kid.

"I guess it just means this book was right about Kevin," Kid replied, holding up a copy of _Kevin Mask: The Reason_. "Kevin's got some daddy issues."

"Gimme that!" Meat snarled, swiping at the book.

"Hey, I haven't finished reading it yet!" Kid complained, lifting the book up out of Meat's reach.

"Did you just say "reading", Kid?" Dik Dik echoed, leaning forward in his seat to look over at Kid. "I didn't know you read anything, Kid!"

"He ain't been readin' it, Dik Dik," Terry said. "He's just been lookin' at them there pictures."

"Am not!" Kid protested.

"Are too!" Terry shot back.

"Am not!" Kid yelled. "Okay, so I may have been looking at the pictures, but I read those words underneath the pictures too!"

"So basically, you've looked at the pictures and you've read the captions?" Dik Dik asked.

"Yeah, and?" Kid argued back.

"So you ain't read any of the book?" Terry asked.

"I've read the–"

"We get the picture," Dik Dik quickly interrupted Kid.

An "ooh" from the audience brought everyone's attention sharply back to the match in the ring. Blox was biting into Kevin Mask's shoulder.

"Oh man, it's lucky he's wearing that armour!" Trixie gasped, wincing as she watched Blox tighten his jaws around Kevin's shoulder.

"Hey look, he's got that golden glow again!" Roxanne said, pointing at Kevin.

Once again, Kevin was surrounded by his "inner light", the golden glow of power and energy that had helped him defeat Chijimi Man in the first round. Kevin quickly delivered a chop to Blox's head and then executed a German Suplex on Blox, who shattered into a pile of concrete blocks as he collided with the mat.

"What?" Kid yelped. "Is that it? It's over already? That Blox was pretty lame, anyone could have beaten him…"

"Kid, you ain't seein' the whole picture here!" Meat warned him. "Blox can reassemble himself from all those blocks. And if Kevin doesn't realise that, he's gonna be in a whole world of trouble soon!"

"So you think Kevin might lose?" Kid asked.

"He might do," Meat confirmed. "And you might have to fight Blox in the final round."

Kid let out a short scream at that thought, and then followed it with another yelp as he saw that Blox was, just as Meat had predicted he would, rebuilding himself.

Blox rebuilt himself in the shape of an open book, position himself behind and around Kevin Mask, who watched on in a state of bemusement. Before Kevin could react to what had happened, Blox slammed his two "pages" shut, crushing Kevin in the middle.

The audience groaned as Blox repeated the action of opening and shutting his book form over Kevin again and again. Kid seemed to be particularly disturbed by the attack, as he began to scream and turn blue with fear.

"Relax, Kid!" Terry said, in an attempt to calm Kid down. "It ain't happenin' to you!"

"But look at the size of that book!" Kid wailed. "Can you imagine all the big scary words that there must be in a book that size?"

Meat groaned to himself, slapping a hand against his forehead in despair.

"Come on, Kevin!" Roxanne and Trixie called out.

Kiki tried to suppress a smile as she watched Kevin being battered by Blox's relentless attack. Despite her dislike for Kevin, she did have to concede that the attack he was suffering did look particularly gruelling. And, as she watched, Kevin somehow managed to muster the strength to force to book open. Kevin's arms were shuddering with the effort he was exerting in his attempt to free himself, but it looked as though he would soon be safe.

Kiki groaned along with the rest of the audience as Blox snapped his book form shut again, squashing Kevin so flat he almost completely disappeared from sight.

"I can't watch!" Roxanne wailed, covering her eyes with her hands.

"Come on, Kevin!" Trixie cried.

Kiki began to feel herself silently urging Kevin to escape somehow. She did not like to see anyone suffering such an attack, not even someone whom she had grown to resent as much as Kevin Mask.

Although, she thought to herself, reading his book had certainly changed her opinion of him for the better.

"Roxanne, you can open your eyes, he's safe!" Trixie said, tugging at Roxanne wrists as Kevin leapt free of Blox's attack.

"Oh thank God!" Roxanne sighed, looking up at the ring.

Kevin was stomping at the top edges of Blox's book form, and seemed to be wearing Blox down. But Blox countered by disassembling his shoulders and reassembling them into arms. Using his newly acquired hands, Blox grabbed onto Kevin's feet, halting his assault.

But Kevin remained unfazed, and quickly reversed the move into a Frankensteiner and then quickly leapt onto the turnbuckle to capitalise on his advantage.

"How does one fight an opponent like that?" Dik Dik mused.

"I dunno, it's so hard when he keeps rearranging himself like that," Wally replied.

"I had a set of building blocks when I was a kid," Kid said.

"And just what in tarnation does that have to do with this here match, Kid Muscle?" Terry asked him.

"Well this one time, I built a tower that was taller than me," Kid replied, holding one hand up just above his head to indicate just how high his tower had been.

"What?" Terry echoed, narrowing his eyes at Kid.

"And then this other time, I ate all the orange chalk for the chalkboard," Kid said.

"Say Kid, do you ever listen to yerself when you're talkin'?" Terry asked Kid.

"I drift in and out," Kid casually replied.

"I see," Terry said slowly, nodding his head.

Terry turned towards Dik Dik and Wally, and all three shrugged their shoulders at each other.

"What is Blox doing?" Roxanne asked anyone who cared to listen.

Inside the ring, Blox had broken himself down into his building block pieces, which were shooting across the ring, one by one, towards Kevin. Kevin was frozen on the spot, obviously bewildered by Blox's actions. Before too long, it became obvious to everyone just what Blox was doing, as his blocks began to attach themselves to Kevin's body, very quickly encasing his entire form.

"Kevin!" Lord Flash shouted to his protégé. "There's a small opening in the back, you should be able to escape that way!"

A popping sound began to resonate throughout the stadium, which at first caused confusion.

"What's that sound?" Kid asked, scratching his head. "Is Kevin making popcorn in there?"

"Nah, I think he's just dislocating all his joints so that he can squeeze through that little hole in the back there," Meat casually replied.

"What?" Kid screamed.

"Yeah, look, there he goes!" Meat added, pointing up at the ring as Kevin slinked out of the small gap in the back of the tomb Blox had encased him in.

Kid screamed again, grabbing Meat and shaking him. Meat waved a hand at Kid in a half-hearted attempt to make Kid let go, but his efforts were wasted.

After successfully escaping from Blox's prison, Kevin took a few moments to recover, before turning back to his opponent to continue the match. Kevin faltered for a moment when he first laid eyes on Blox, who had now moulded himself perfectly into a clone of Kevin Mask himself.

"See Kevin, I didn't want to suffocate you," Blox called over to him.

Kevin growled under his breath, narrowing his eyes at the building block replica of himself.

"Stay focussed, Kevin!" Lord Flash urged him.

Kevin grunted his agreement, straightening his back as he readied himself for an attack.

"Weird!" Trixie muttered. "That's kinda just like fighting yourself…"

"In more ways than one," Meat agreed, as Kevin's first attack on Blox failed.

"Wow, it's like Blox can read Kevin's mind now!" Roxanne said.

"Maybe he saw inside Kevin's mind when he built himself around Kevin like that!" Trixie said.

Twice more Kevin tried to attack Blox, and twice more his attacks were cancelled out as Blox blocked him with an identical attack. After his third attempt failed, Kevin fell to the mat, shaking his head in confusion.

"Ya see Kevin, my Building Block Mocker does more than just copy the way you look," Blox told Kevin as he slowly got to his feet. "It also gives me the ability to use all your attacks, and it gives me all your knowledge of how and when to use those attacks."

"I understand," Kevin said slowly, nodding his head. "If what you say is true, then let's see how you handle this!"

Kevin launched himself at Blox to tackle him, swiftly shifting the move into a flying clothesline at the last possible second, catching his opponent off-guard and landing a hit.

"Yay, Kevin!" Roxanne and Trixie cheered.

"Man, Kevin's sure had bad luck with his opponents so far…" Kiki muttered to herself.

"What?" Kid yelled, leaning over her.

"I said Kevin's sure had bad luck with his opponents so far," she repeated, wiping Kid's spit from her face with her sleeve.

"What about me?" Kid wailed. "I had to fight Hollywood Bowl!"

Kiki slowly nodded her head, remembering then that she had missed Kid's first match, and so could not really comment on how tough Hollywood Bowl may or may not have been.

"And I have to fight one of those guys tomorrow!" Kid added, pointing at the skybox, where the two Mystery Warriors from the Red Card were sitting with Kid's family and the McMadds.

"Yeah, you might have to fight Jaeger," Kiki idly commented as she squinted up at the barely visible robed Chojins.

"Jaeger?" Kid echoed. "Wow, that would be cool!"

Roxanne turned towards Kid, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You want to fight Jaeger?" she asked him.

"Well yeah, of course I do!" Kid replied. "He's my friend, he has to let me win."

"Idiot," Roxanne snarled, turning back to the ring.

"Kid, Jaeger wants to win the Chojin Crown too, y'know," Kiki reminded Kid.

"But he wouldn't…"

Kid slowly stopped talking, his eyes moving from Kiki to Roxanne.

"Kid, you can't be complacent," Meat whispered to Kid. "If you're not careful, your next opponent could easily beat you, and what then? You'll never get a chance with Roxanne then."

"I heard that, Meat!" Roxanne snapped.

Meat laughed nervously, grinning up at Roxanne.

"Besides, it says in my book that I'm gonna win the Chojin Crown," Kid said as he began to pick his nose again.

"It says Kevin will win in his book," Kiki pointed out.

"But it says in my book that my story has to have a happy ending," Kid argued.

"So you think that's it, huh?" Roxanne snapped. "You think everyone else in this tournament will just lie down and let you win, is that it?"

"Well, yeah," Kid answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"You know what Kid, I hope you do have to fight Jaeger," Roxanne said. "And I hope he beats you."

"Jaeger wouldn't defeat me in a fight–"

"I didn't say I hope he defeats you. I said I hope he beats you. Really hard."

Kid's eyes widened in shock, but Roxanne ignored him, turning back to the match at hand. Kid turned to Kiki, who shrugged her shoulders innocently.

"Who am I fighting tomorrow, Meat?" Kid asked his manager.

"I dunno, Kid, we won't find out until the match starts," Meat replied.

Kid turned towards the skybox, where, as well as the McMadds, Kid's family and Robin Mask, the two Mystery Warriors for the Red Division were sitting. Kid knew one of them was Jaeger, and the other one was apparently some guy called "Six". Six sure was a big guy, and Kid was not entirely sure he wanted to have to fight him. Ever.

But Kid remembered that, in his debut match for the IWF, he had chosen to fight the smallest guy, and had ended up fighting Dial Bolic, the memory of which made him shudder visibly. Since size was not always an indication of how frightening and able an opponent could be, maybe fighting the bigger guy was the better option.

The more Kid thought about his upcoming matches, the more he became worried and afraid. He was going to have to fight two out of the three wrestlers in the Red Division to make it to the final match, which meant he had to fight two out of Jaeger, Ricardo and Six. And even if he did manage to defeat two of those wrestlers, he would then be made to face someone from the Black Division.

Turning back to the ring, Kid watched as Blox held Kevin Mask in one of his own moves, The Royal Stretch. It was a hideous display, and the thought of fighting an opponent like Blox only increased Kid's already consuming fear; but the thought of fighting Kevin Mask suddenly became an even more frightening prospect to the prince.

Kevin, despite being held in a painful submission hold, was laughing. And it was not just any old laugh. Kevin sounded as though he had gone mad. As though he was completely and utterly insane.

Kid wanted to cry.

"True competition brings out the best in a man," Kevin declared. "Especially when he is fighting against himself. I am a better and improved fighter, and you, Blox, are in more than just a fight for the Chojin Crown with me. You are in a fight for your life!"

Kid began to feel light-headed. He wondered if anyone would mind terribly if he just lay down for a bit.

Inside the ring, Blox was beginning to lose his patience with Kevin, and he unleashed another wave of energy, tightening his hold on Kevin. The extra pressure was enough to do one thing that had never happened before; it put a crack in the Mask family armour.

Kevin was no longer laughing.

Kevin slid his feet out of Blox's grip and kicked at Blox's head. Kevin's attack loosened Blox's grip enough for Kevin to free his arms.

Kid slid lower in his seat and pressed his hands against either side of his head, which seemed to be swaying slightly. He did not want to fight Kevin Mask. He could vaguely remember Meat watching reruns of matches between his father and Robin Mask, and they had looked brutal enough. But Kevin Mask was a worse opponent that his father; Kevin Mask had been in the DMP. He had trained with guys like Dial Bolic, Pumpinator and Mars; none of whom Kid ever wanted to have to fight again.

Kevin was fighting dirty. Kid had never seen this side of Kevin before, and it certainly did not match the image the McMadds had portrayed of Kevin in his book. In the book, Kevin fought with honour and for honour. Now it just looked like he was… A member of the DMP all over again.

Kevin thrust Blox into the turnbuckle, shattering his form.

"If I have to fight dirty to win this match, I will!" Kevin warned the pile of bricks at his feet.

"Sheesh, Kevin sure is unleashin' a darker side of his personality today!" Terry commented, shaking his head in disbelief.

"He doesn't need to fight dirty to win this," Dik Dik replied. "He's not doing this to win the match, he's doing it to send a message."

"To send a message?" Wally echoed. "But to who?"

Dik Dik raised his chin upwards, fixing his eyes onto the skybox. Wally and Terry looked up with him, squinting at the occupants of the box.

"You mean he's mad at the McMadds for publishing that book about him?" Wally asked Dik Dik.

"Nah, he means Kevin's sendin' out a message to Jaeger!" Terry said. "We all know the McMadds want to see a match between Kevin Mask and Jaeger!"

"Methinks Dik Dik is referring to Sir Robin Mask," Checkmate offered. "Kevin Mask wants to prove to his father that he is the better fighter."

"Maybe…" Dik Dik quietly said, his eyes still fixed on the skybox. "Or maybe it's something more than all of that…"

Terry and Wally both turned to frown at Dik Dik; but Checkmate kept his attention focussed on the skybox.

Inside the ring, Blox had transformed himself into a steamroller, and was slowly advancing on Kevin Mask, preparing to squash him flat to the canvas.

"I can't watch!" Roxanne wailed.

"Don't worry Roxanne!" Trixie assured her. "Kevin will think of something!"

No sooner had those words left Trixie's mouth than Kevin shot forwards, punching a fist into the roller on Blox's latest form. To the surprise of everyone apart from Kevin Mask and Lord Flash, Blox screamed out in pain, and halted instantly. Kevin then leapt up and kicked at the black building block he had just punched, knocking it out altogether.

Blox fell to pieces as a result of Kevin's attack, but quickly reassembled himself into the shape of Kevin Mask, his black block starting and guiding the transformation.

"I get it!" Terry said, sitting forwards. "See that there black block is like Blox's heart and mind. Without that block, he can't rebuild himself! He needs that block to maintain his form! If Kevin can attack that block, the rest of Blox will be helpless!"

Proving that Terry's theory was correct, Kevin kicked the black block out of Blox's form once more, causing him to fall apart again.

"I bet Kevin Mask knew that long ago," Terry muttered, sitting back and folding his arms over his chest. "He was just showboatin' again, no doubt."

"He was just showboating?" Kid echoed, pushing himself back up in his chair. "But why would he do something like that against an opponent like Blox?"

"Because he can?" Terry offered.

"Or because he wants to send a message to his future opponents," Dik Dik added.

"Like me?" Kid asked.

"Maybe," Dik Dik replied.

"But I don't wanna fight against someone who fights like that!" Kid wailed.

"Kid, you've beaten guys who fight dirty before!" Meat reminded him.

"I know, but I've never beaten good guys who fight dirty before!" Kid moaned.

"You'll be fine, Kid, just stay focussed!" Meat assured him.

"Okay…"

Kid began to bite his nails again as he watched Kevin deliver a Big Ben Bash to Blox, shattering the black building block and destroying his opponent completely. The bell rang and Kevin stood victorious.

Kid slid down in his chair again, wondering for a second time if his friends really would be bothered if he lay down on the ground for a while.

Kevin quickly left the ring, marching off down the aisle towards the backstage area. Lord Flash stumbled after him, a little perturbed that his student had ignored him.

"Kevin, are you alright?" he asked, hurrying after Kevin.

"I'm fine," Kevin tightly replied. "I just want to get the hell out of here before that McMadd woman finds me and–"

Kevin skidded to a halt, falling instantly silent as he found himself face-to-face with Jacqueline McMadd. She looked as though she had been waiting for him, her arms crossed, a sly look on her face. As Lord Flash caught up with them, Jacqueline slowly opened out her arms and then began to slowly clap her hands together.

"Well done, Kevin," she said. "That was a fantastic match. Very entertaining. And very gruesome. You even managed to keep me amused, and that's something most men fail to do. If you keep this up, you might be finding yourself with a new girlfriend."

Kevin's knuckles cracked at his sides as he curled his fingers around to form fists.

"So you like a gruesome fight, do you?" he asked.

"Oh yes," she replied, smiling coyly at him.

"Then here," he growled, stepping closer to her. "A little souvenir for you. See how you enjoy having the blood of another Chojin on your hands."

Kevin opened one fist, dropping a pile of shattered concrete into Jacqueline's hands.

"You stupid little girl!" Lord Flash spat at her. "We are not here for your amusement! This isn't about entertainment! This is about honour!"

"Oh, I know it's about honour," Jacqueline replied. "Remember, I–"

"Yes, we all know you printed a few stupid books," Kevin interrupted her. "And here's something you can put in the third one you're working on. Kevin Mask said that the Chojin Crown is no longer just a battle for a championship belt and a fistful of cash. As of today, the Chojin Crown is a full-scale war."

Kevin marched on, leaving Jacqueline alone with Lord Flash. Jacqueline watched Kevin disappear before turning to his manager, her smile returning as her eyes landed on Lord Flash.

"Stupid girl," he cursed her, shaking his head at her.

Lord Flash then marched off after Kevin, leaving Jacqueline alone. She sighed in frustration, before looking down at her hands. She watched the concrete crumbs and dust for a moment, before blowing sharply, blasting all remains of Blox from her hands.

"I didn't come here to get my hands dirty," she grumbled. "He doesn't know who he's dealing with…"

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** Kiki is still struggling to come to terms with her feelings about Mars's death, and her distracted thoughts land her in a most unlikely circumstance with the last person she would want to be alone with... **Chapter 18 – Total Eclipse of the Heart**. 


	19. Total Eclipse of the Heart

**A/N:** I planned out this chapter long ago, but had no idea how to write it. I guessed it would be about 3000 words at the most, since creating a situation that forced Kevin and Kiki together for a great length of time seemed impossible. I decided to make it a song fic in the hope that doing so would bulk the chapter out a bit more. I wrote this over two evenings, and was shocked to discover that this chapter is actually over 15,000 words long, and it's only broken down into two sections. That's longer than most of the fics in this section. Scary…

**Disclaimer:** I don't own either of the two songs in this chapter. The "song fic" song is an abridged version of _Total Eclipse of the Heart_ by Bonnie Tyler. The song Kiki sings in the latter part of the chapter is and excerpt from _Toxic_ by Britney Spears, a song I originally intended to use in _I Want You Bad_.

**Recap:** Kevin defeated Blox to advance to the semi-finals. During his match, Kevin resorted to the dirty fighting tactics he once employed as a member of the DMP. Kevin has declared that the Chojin Crown is now a war.

* * *

**  
Chapter 18 – Total Eclipse of the Heart**

"Oh, Kiki, come on!" Trixie insisted, grabbing Kiki's arm in both hands and dragging her through the hotel lobby. "Just one drink! It's not gonna kill you!"

"No, really, I don't want to," Kiki replied, digging her heels into the carpet in an attempt to stop Trixie from dragging her all the way into the bar.

"I think you should join us, Kiki, even if it is just for one drink," Roxanne said. "But if you'd rather go shopping then that's fine. We'll probably still be here when you get back anyway, you could join us for a bit then."

"Okay," Kiki said. "I'll meet you both at the bar when I get back."

"You're no fun, Kiki!" Trixie moaned.

Trixie stomped off, heading straight towards the group of Chojins loitering by the bar.

"Just ignore her, Kiki," Roxanne whispered to Kiki. "And I can understand if you don't want to be around those guys when they're drunk!"

"Thanks, Roxanne," Kiki said, watching as Terry, Wally, Dik Dik and Jaeger cheerfully greeted Trixie with a toast. "I'll check up on you on my way back in, yeah?"

"See you then."

Kiki nodded at Roxanne, and both girls walked off in separate directions. Roxanne joined the others in the bar, and Kiki left the hotel, walking down the car park towards where she had parked her sister's car.

Kiki was grateful, in more ways than one, that her sister had given her the car for the journey to the location of the remaining matches in the Chojin Crown tournament. Not only had it made travelling there easier, but it also granted Kiki the option of leaving her friends' company for the evening.

As Kiki drove out of the car park, her mind was wandering away, and Kid's upcoming match, Kevin's match that had just past, and even the road ahead of her were all far from her thoughts. The only one thing Kiki seemed to be able to concentrate on as she joined the freeway was Mars.

_Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming round._

She still stubbornly believed that he was alive. He had to be. But even the thought of him still living hurt her: if he was still alive, why had he not contacted her?

Kiki began to wonder, as she often did, if, on their last day together, she had misheard him somehow. Had he definitely said that she had to be at the hospital before noon? Maybe he had said ten. He had made it clear that he wanted, or maybe even needed, to be out of there as soon as he possibly could. If she had misheard him then that meant that he had probably thought that she had stood him up. It was possible that she could have misheard him she had been so confused that day it was hard for her to remember everything that was done or said clearly.

And whether he was alive or dead, Kiki could not bear to think that Mars remembered of her as the stupid little girl that let him down just when he needed her most.

Kiki snivelled as her watering eyes began to blur the dark road ahead of her. It was quite late in the evening, later than Kiki thought appropriate to be driving around a town she was unfamiliar with all on her own, but she needed to get out. She needed to get away from Roxanne and Trixie. She needed to get away from Terry, Wally and Jaeger. She especially needed to get away from Dik Dik. She just needed to get as far away from them all as she possible could, just until she had cried out her feelings.

_Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears._

As she drove, Kiki found herself wondering why her view of the road was so obscured. Although her eyes were watery and blurry, what lay ahead of her was so badly blurred it was almost invisible.

The drumming sound of rainfall against the roof of the car suddenly broke into her thoughts, and with a sigh, Kiki flicked on the windscreen wipers, rolling her eyes at her own stupidity as her view of the road ahead was suddenly restored.

Kiki sniffed again, glancing down at the passenger seat, which was supporting a black plastic bag with a white logo over it. It was the bag Kiki had gotten from the IWF gift shop. Of all her purchases she had made from the gift shop of late, there was only one that Kiki saw fit to carry around with her.

It was the first programme for the Ikeman Chojin Crown.

Kiki slid one hand from the steering wheel, fumbling inside the bag to retrieve the programme. It was the thickest of the three programmes the IWF had issued for the tournament, and, as far as the actual tournament itself was concerned, it was the least informative.

But it did have one thing that none of the others did: it had pictures of Mars.

Kiki placed the programme down on top of the bag and opened it to a page it seemed to naturally fall open at. The particular page the programme opened at contained a large picture of Mars that filled one page. Not only was it the biggest picture of Mars in the programme, it was also the only full-length photograph of him. Unfortunately, it had been taken after Mars had revealed himself to be a member of the DMP, and showed him complete with the famous three-lettered logo in yellow across his chest.

But in Kiki's mind, it was a good picture nonetheless. Just looking into his golden eyes watching out at her from the page soothed her nerves and brought a small hint of a smile to her face.

_Every now and then I get a little bit terrified and then I see the look in your eyes._

Kiki turned back to the road, her eyes widening as she realised that she was passing a turn-off. Assuming that it was the one she had been looking for, Kiki quickly swerved off the freeway, sighing with relief that she had made it safely.

"I really should pay more attention to where I'm going…" she muttered to herself.

Kiki soon found herself driving along a very dark road. The rain outside was getting heavier, and a distant growl overhead told Kiki she was driving into a thunderstorm.

"Damn," she grumbled.

The road ahead was getting harder and harder to see. Kiki had read in a brochure at the hotel that this road would take her to a 24-hour supermarket, where she had intended to loiter around to fill in some time on her own; but she was beginning to think there had been some sort of mistake. The brochure had shown the supermarket as a large, bright complex. Everything around Kiki was black.

Kiki began to fumble inside her bag again in the hope that she would find the brochure in there somewhere. She silently acknowledged that it would have been far wiser to take the brochure of the supermarket than an old IWF programme with her, but hindsight was a wonderful thing that seldom did one any good to dwell upon.

Kiki sighed in despair, squinting out of the window. Up ahead on her left she could see a bleary row of lights that looked highly unwelcoming, but she decided to aim for them regardless. There was a chance that it was the supermarket, and that the brochure had been exaggerating its virtues, or it may just be a regular service station. Either way, Kiki could find out where she was and how to get back to the hotel.

As she rolled on towards the lights, Kiki looked down at the picture of Mars again, her smile widening. Her tears had dried thanks to the distraction of being lost, and she was more able to appreciate how happy Mars's face made her feel. She sighed softly, moving one hand down from the steering wheel to touch the page.

Kiki was so lost in watching the picture of Mars, she failed to notice the large brick lying in the middle of the road, and it was not until her wheel hit it that her attention was drawn back to the road again.

Kiki gasped, grabbing at the steering wheel as the car was thrown off course. She tried to straighten the car up as it careened off sharply to the left. The car left the road, bumped up over some rough ground, and spun into the forecourt of the dimly lit building Kiki had spotted earlier; but the car did not stop there.

In her distracted state of mind, Kiki had not realised she was still pressing the accelerator, and the car lurched forwards, clattering through something that bounced right over the car, shattering the front windscreen and battering off the roof of the car, before falling to the ground behind her. Kiki looked up at the windscreen, alarmed to find half of it was missing, and the half in front of her face was covered in so many cracks, she could no longer see through the glass.

"Oh shit!" Kiki yelped, finally slamming her foot onto the brake as she saw what lay imminently ahead of her.

Kiki's reaction was too late to make much of a difference, but luckily for her, her airbag inflated as the car collided with the thick trunk of the tree, saving her from serious injury as the remains of the front windscreen collapsed into the car.

Kiki froze, her face buried in the airbag, her entire body shuddering.

"What have I done?" she groaned, turning her head towards the passenger seat.

The passenger airbag had inflated too, covering every part of the programme that lay on the seat, except for the picture of Mars. Kiki choked on the irony of the situation as she looked down at Mars's golden eyes.

_Every now and then I fall apart. Turn around, bright eyes._

Kiki slowly sat back, letting out a long sigh and lifting her hair back off her face.

"And I thought it was going to be a quiet, boring night," she muttered as she wrestled with her seatbelt.

She growled at the airbag in front of her as it failed to deflate. The passenger airbag had shrivelled into nothingness at her side, but her bag remained stretched tight. Kiki managed to removed her seatbelt after wriggling around a lot, allowing her to stretch one arm over to the glove compartment.

Popping open the glove compartment, Kiki grabbed out her sister's steel nailfile, holding it like a dagger. Kiki stabbed it into the airbag, sighing again as the bag deflated into her lap.

Kiki began to relax for a moment, dragging her hands down her face. As she dropped her hands to her sides again, Kiki saw three things she really did not like the look of.

Firstly, Kiki saw that the front of the car – the front of her sister's car – was mangled beyond all recognition.

Secondly, Kiki saw a group of burly men pouring out of the building next to her, which, it seemed, was some sort of biker's drinking spot.

Thirdly, in the remains of her rearview mirror, Kiki saw the torn and twisted remains of someone's motorbike.

Kiki closed her eyes and allowed her head to drop onto the steering wheel. For a brief moment, she saw flashes of the forest scenes from her dreams, particularly the dreams that had contained a black wolf. The wolf suddenly seemed much more imposing than it ever had, and its fangs looked positively lethal.

_Every now and then I get a little bit restless and I dream of something wild._

Kiki's was brought abruptly back to her senses as the door next to her was opened so violently it came clean off its hinges. She watched with wide eyes as the giant man who had torn it off threw it aside as though it weighed no more than a piece of paper. He then thrust his two gloved hands into the car, grabbing Kiki by the front of her sweater and dragging her out of the car.

"Who the devil do you think you are?" he roared, hoisting Kiki up into the air.

Kiki choked and kicked with her legs, gasping as she saw that her feet were at least three feet from the ground.

"Oh, it's you," the man grumbled, lowering her slowly to the ground. "What the hell are you doing here? This isn't the sort of place a stupid little girl like you should be!"

Kiki smoothed her sweater down with one hand, running the fingers of her other hand nervously through her hair. She slowly looked up, her eyebrows drawing together into a frown as she looked into the glowing yellow eyes of the man standing over her.

"Kevin Mask?" she said, her voice choked and weak.

"I hope to God you've got insurance!" Kevin growled, waggling a finger at her nose.

"Insurance?" Kiki echoed, turning towards the tree. "Oh God, look at the car!"

Kiki turned around fully, running her eyes over the damage she had caused. The front end of the car was crushed into a V-shape from the collision with the giant tree, which was still firmly rooted into the ground. The front windscreen was completely gone. All along the roof were massive dents and scratches. The back windscreen was shattered, but it had not yet caved in. Both front wheels were flat, and the car was hissing and smoking all over.

"It's my sister's car!" Kiki wailed, turning back to Kevin Mask.

"I don't care whose car it is!" Kevin snapped. "What about my bike?"

"Your… Bike?"

Kevin thrust a finger towards the back end of the car. Kiki turned around, wincing as her eyes landed on the demolished motorbike once more.

"Oh Kevin, I'm so sorry!" she began, turning back to Kevin. "Really, I am!"

"I don't think you are sorry, Kiki!" Kevin sneered. "I think you did this deliberately!"

"What?" Kiki echoed, taking a step back from him.

"This is all just a damn conspiracy between that McMadd bitch and that conniving bastard!"

Kiki froze, overcome with fear at first as Kevin began to glow in front of her. She recognised the golden shine he had acquried as his "inner light", the power that had allowed him to beat Chijimi Man effortlessly and to kill Blox earlier that same day.

"I'm so, so sorry!" she whimpered, as she began to cry pathetically. "It was an accident, I swear! I was just trying to find the supermarket! I'm so sorry! Please, you have to believe me, it was just an accident!"

"Why should I believe anything you say?" Kevin roared. "You've never liked me!"

"You don't like me either!" Kiki sobbed. "You wish that I'd been killed by the DMP too, don't you?"

Kevin pointed a finger at Kiki as if he was about to start arguing back, but something stopped him. He slowly straightened away from Kiki, the glow around him fading.

"What did you just say?" he asked quietly.

"I said you don't like me either!" Kiki repeated.

"After that," he said, his voice still low and muted. "What did you say after that?"

"I said you wish I'd been killed by the DMP too."

"That's what I thought you said."

Kevin nodded his head, turning to look at his bike again for a moment.

"I, uh…" he began, before clearing his throat awkwardly. "I think there's been a small misunderstanding here. Perhaps we should just start again. Are you hurt?"

Kiki remained silent, by now too frightened to answer Kevin's question.

"Are you hurt?" he asked again, turning to face her. "That was a very bad collision, are you alright?"

Kiki slowly turned over her hands, gasping as she saw one was smeared with blood. Realising that, although the backs of her hands were grazed and bloodied, the blood was from an injury elsewhere, Kiki began looking down at herself frantically for the source of the blood.

"Ah," Kevin said.

"What?" Kiki yelped, her head snapping up to look at him.

"It's, um…"

Kevin reached both hands out towards her, but Kiki leapt back out of his reach, thumping against the side of the car.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" Kevin snapped irritably. "Just stand still, would you? I just wanted to check how deep that cut is!"

"What cut?" Kiki asked, looking over each of her shoulders in turn.

"What are you looking for?" Kevin asked. "You're hardly going to be able to see it looking at the bloody car, are you?"

"Don't shout at me!" Kiki scolded him, as fresh tears formed in her eyes. "I just wanted to have a quiet night on my own!"

"Didn't we all," Kevin grumbled.

"If you wanted to be alone, why did you come here?" Kiki asked.

"Never mind that now, just get over here and stop yapping at me."

Kiki reluctantly shuffled closer to Kevin, shirking back from his hands as they reached for her head again.

"Stay still!" he barked.

Kiki froze on the spot, allowing him to take hold of her head in both hands. He tilted her head forwards, using his thumbs to part her hair over the back of her head.

"You're alright, it's not too deep," he concluded, quickly releasing her. "You won't need stitches."

Kevin stepped back, running his eyes over Kiki and she trembled and sobbed before him.

"Of course, it may be a wise idea to get you to a hospital anyway, since you seem to be in shock," he added.

"I don't want to go to a hospital," Kiki said, rubbing at one eye. "I just want to go home."

"Yes, well, perhaps you should call for a taxi," Kevin advised.

"I can't," Kiki sobbed. "I didn't take my cell phone with me."

"Well that was bloody stupid, wasn't it?"

"I know!"

Kiki dropped to her knees, crying openly.

"God, why me?" Kevin grumbled under his breath.

He took a step closer to Kiki, glancing at his ruined bike again.

"Come on now, there's no need for all this," he said firmly. "Stand up. Come on. There's a phone inside, you can phone from there! Come along now, you can't linger about here!"

"I don't want to go in there it's horrible in there!" Kiki wailed.

Kevin sighed as Kiki crumpled to the ground, sobbing into the tarmac.

"Come on, please," he said, lowering his voice as he said the word "please". "You should at least call your sister to let her know what you've done to her car."

Kiki burst into a fresh fit of hysterics at Kevin's less than supportive words, causing him to growl in frustration.

"Look, I don't intend to spend tonight babysitting some stupid little girl!" he said. "You and your careless driving have ruined my bike! How am I meant to get back to my hotel now? I should be angry with you! I've been very patient so far don't push me any further! Do you have any idea what sort of day I've had today? So far, I've murdered a man made of concrete bricks, I found my father hanging around my locker room, I've just been thrown through a window by a man I hate with a passion, and now my bike, my one source of pleasure in this sad and miserable life has been utterly destroyed!"

"What in the hell are you doing?"

Kevin groaned as someone jogged over to his side.

"You stay out of this!" he warned.

"Hey, Kiki, are you alright?"

Kiki blinked up at the figure standing over her, only mildly relieved to see that it was Meat.

"She just crashed into my bike," Kevin explained.

"Hey Kevin!"

"Oh God, not another one!" Kevin snarled.

Kid Muscle skidded to a halt between Kevin and Meat, failing to notice the scene of the accident as his sole attention was focussed on Kevin.

"Say Kevin, was that–"

"Yes," Kevin quickly interrupted him.

"Really?" Kid asked.

"Yes," Kevin patiently repeated.

"But how is–"

"Ikeman McMadd's idea."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"But that means that–"

"Yes."

"But where had–"

"The Hercules Factory."

"The Hercules Factory?"

"Yes."

"Then why did no-one tell us?"

"Probably because they knew what would happen if they did."

Kevin pointed at Kid's crotch, where a large damp patch manifested itself.

"Oh, right!" Kid said, grinning and crossing his legs in an attempt to hide the evidence of his incontinence.

"Get him away from me," Kevin said to Meat.

"Sure, but you've gotta do something about her," Meat replied, nodding his head at Kiki.

Kevin glowered down at Kiki, an action that, despite the covering of Kevin's substantial iron mask, did not go unnoticed by Meat.

"I mean it, Kevin!" Meat said firmly. "You've gotta make sure she gets back to her hotel safely."

"Must I?" Kevin growled.

"Yes, you must," Meat plainly replied.

Kevin paused, his eyes fixed on Kiki again.

"Kevin?" Meat pressed.

"Yes, yes, alright! I'm dealing with it! Just get that idiot away from me!"

Meat nodded his head, guiding Kid back towards the pub.

"Right, come on you," Kevin said firmly, crouching down and grabbing one of Kiki's arms.

"Ow, you're hurting me!" Kiki wailed as he dragged her up into a sitting position.

"I'm not hurting you!" Kevin retorted, maintaining his grip on her arm. "You're just feeling sorry for yourself, that's all!"

"You are so mean!" Kiki said, tugging her arm out of his grasp. "I don't need your help!"

Kiki got to her feet, scowling up at Kevin.

"I especially don't want your help if you don't even want to give it to me!" she added.

"Damn you Mars, you always did delight in making my life unnecessarily complicated!" Kevin growled, turning away from Kiki.

"Mars?" Kiki repeated faintly.

She began to sob again, her knees bending beneath her.

"No, wait!" Kevin quickly said, turning back to her and grabbing both her arms to stop her from falling to the ground again. "I shouldn't have said that, just forget that you even heard it!"

"It's not fair!" Kiki wailed.

Kevin hesitated, holding onto Kiki, unsure of what to do next. But before he could make a logical decision about his next course of action, Kiki flopped towards him, curling her arms around his waist. Kevin froze, stiffening as she grabbed her fingers into the back of his long coat and pressed her face into his chest.

Kevin looked down at the top of her head, which looked quite hideous. Her emerald coloured hair was matted with blood, grit and a few shards of glass, and the relentless rainwater that had fallen on her had only served to worsen the effect. She was still crying, but the sound of her sobs was now muffled by his shirt. Having never had to deal with a crying girl before, Kevin was at a complete loss for what to do next.

Neither his training at the DMP academy of the training his father had put him through could have prepared him for this.

_Every now and then I get a little bit helpless and I'm lying like a child in your arms._

Kevin slowly released Kiki's arms, moving one hand to the point of his mask that covered his mouth, clearing his throat loudly. He hoped the noise would create a diversion that would distract Kiki from her misery. Surely she had not meant to hug him, he thought. He was certain she had made a mistake, since she had hated him so passionately since her brief affair with Mars.

"Well, now, I should really, um, I should really go and call for a taxi for, um, well, for, um, for both of us, I guess," he said, before clearing his throat again.

Kevin lowered his hands to Kiki's arms, stopping just before he made contact. He wanted to pull her arms off and push her back, but something was stopping him.

"Come on now, you have to let go," he tried.

"I just wanted some time alone," she said.

Kevin twitched as she spoke, since her mouth was still pressed against his shirt, and the movement of her lips and the heat of her breath against his body startled him.

"Yes…" he said slowly. "Well, I was rather hoping for some time alone myself. But sometimes things don't always work out the way we plan them to."

"It gets so hard sometimes," Kiki said, her face still pressed against Kevin's chest. "Nobody understands me. I've got no-one I can talk to, and nowhere I can go. It all just builds up inside of me. Everyone tells me I have to stop talking about it and I have to stop thinking about it, but I can't! It just builds up inside me, and when I get upset about it, everyone gets so angry with me, and that makes me angry! I just wanted some time alone to just deal with it!"

_Every now and then I get a little bit angry and I know I've got to get out and cry._

"Yes, well, we really have to get you back to your friends now," Kevin slowly said.

"I don't want to go back to them!" Kiki growled, at last stepping back from Kevin.

Kevin sighed quietly in relief that she had finally moved away from him. Her hands were still gripping into his coat at his sides, but she had at least withdrawn her body from his.

"I don't want to go back there, and sit in that dirty bar with Roxanne and Trixie and Terry and Wally and Jaeger and Dik Dik Van Dik!" she said firmly.

Kevin slowly nodded his head.

"Yes, well, I can see why you don't want to go back to them, I wouldn't want that either," he quietly agreed.

"They're all so stupid and boring and annoying!" Kiki added.

"Yes," Kevin said. "Yes they are. They are especially stupid."

"And boring!" Kiki reminded him. "So, so boring! Especially Dik Dik Van Dik! His voice makes me wanna go to sleep!"

"Yes."

"And Jaeger… He's so… He's just little mister goody-goody two shoes! He's so boring, I could cry!"

"Yes…"

"And Wally! He's always helping little old ladies across the road, and fighting crime, and he always does exactly what his mother tells him to!"

"I see."

"So boring!"

"Indeed."

"And Terry? He's always going on and on and on about his "pappy"! It's always "ma pappy done told me this" and "ma pappy done told me that". God, it is so boring!"

"Quite."

"And Trixie? She's always going on about other people's clothes and their make-up! If it's not Jacqueline McMadd, it's someone else! She so bossy and bitchy and she never listens to what I say!"

"Is Trixie the blonde one?"

"Yes!"

"Yes, that makes sense."

"And Roxanne? Well, she wants to marry Kid Muscle! Do I need to say anything else?"

"I don't know, but I sincerely hope that you don't. I really can't stand to hear it."

Kiki stopped, looking up at Kevin blankly. She blinked against the rainfall as she stared up at his masked face.

"Like I already said, today has been a terrible day for me, and I would very much like to get back to my hotel now," Kevin explained.

"Yeah, probably best," Kiki agreed, nodding her head.

Kevin sighed softly again as Kiki finally released her hold of him. She placed on hand on her hip and started to move the other through her hair.

"Wait!" he yelped, grabbing her wrist as her fingers slid into her green locks.

Kiki stared up at him questioningly.

"You have glass in your hair," he explained. "Just hold still for a minute."

Kevin carefully plucked the shards of glass from her hair, flicking them to the ground.

"Alright," he said, stepping back from her again.

"Thanks," she muttered, dragging her hand through her hair as she surveyed the car one more time.

"Come on, we should get inside, it's cold and wet out here," Kevin said, turning up the collar of his long coat.

"There's something in the car that I need," Kiki said, leaning in through the hole where the driver's door had been.

Kevin frowned in puzzled interest as she pulled out a torn IWF plastic bag and an open, chunky magazine.

"What's that?" he asked, as she closed it over, revealing a full-length picture of himself on the front cover.

"My Ikeman Chojin Crown Programme," Kiki muttered, shoving it into the bag.

"I see," Kevin said with a nod of his head. "And why would you need to take that to the supermarket with you?"

"I was reading it."

"Oh yes of course. You were reading it. Wait a minute, you were reading it? What, whilst you were driving?"

"Maybe."

Kevin groaned, resisting as best he could the urge to yell at her or break something.

"I'm cold," she said quietly. "And I'm wet. My clothes are soaked right through."

"Yes well, you should have taken a coat with you, shouldn't you?" Kevin sharply replied. "It is raining, after all!"

"I didn't think I would need one, it's summer."

"Yes, well, that was phenomenally stupid of you."

"Do you have a spare coat?"

"Why would I have a spare coat? And before you start getting any crazy ideas in that little head of yours you can just forget about it right now. You absolutely cannot have my coat."

"Why not?"

"Well for a start, it's far too large for you!"

"I could roll up the–"

"No! There will be no rolling up of anything! Just get inside, it's perfectly warm and dry in there!"

"Alright."

Kiki trudged towards the pub, her feet sloshing through the deepening puddles as she went. Kevin took one last look at his mangled bike, then, with another deep sigh of despair, he followed after Kiki.

Ahead of him, Kiki walked into the pub, taking several steps towards the bar before halting abruptly. Kiki's bottom jaw slowly fell from her face as she surveyed her surroundings, her mind taking a moment to register what her eyes were seeing.

Behind her, Kevin Mask walked in, marching up to the bar.

"Kevin, what happened in here?" she asked, turning towards him.

"Two useless bastards had a bar room brawl," Kevin dryly replied as he placed a note onto the bar surface.

Kiki turned back to survey the destruction around her. Tables were upturned and broken, chairs had been flung over the bar and out of windows, glasses and bottles lay in damp piles of shattered glass fragments all over the floor.

"A bar room brawl?" she eventually managed to say. "It looks more like a massacre!"

"Indeed," Kevin curtly replied.

"And where is everyone?" Kiki asked.

"They all left," Kevin calmly replied. "And so they should. I would have done the same myself. These ignorant bastards who can't control their own anger don't deserve company."

The one remaining bartender cautiously placed a bottle in front of Kevin, who snatched it up. He marched around the room, looking about himself as he went. Kiki frowned at him, wondering what he was doing. He appeared to be looking for something, and she briefly wondered if it was worth asking what; but before long he came marching back carrying what appeared to be the one unbroken chair left.

"Sit down," he ordered, placing down the chair and pointing at it.

"Yes, Sir!" Kiki sarcastically replied, sitting into the chair.

"Now you just stay right there," he added. "Read your silly little magazine and drink this."

Kiki touched a hand to the bottle Kevin had thrust towards her, reading the label slowly. She moved her eyes up to his for an explanation.

"It will help numb the pain and bring you out of shock," he said. "Now drink it!"

"Okay," Kiki agreed, catching the bottle as Kevin dropped it on her.

Kiki watched Kevin leap over the bar, scaring off the bartender in the process. He marched up to the telephone hanging on the wall and began to make a phone call. Kiki sighed with relief, pulling out her programme again. As she rested it on her lap, it again fell open to the usual page, once more presenting her with the picture of Mars that she so adored. Suddenly, the whole situation did not seem quite so awful.

_Every now and then I get a little bit terrified but then I see the look in your eyes._

Kiki opened the bottle of whiskey Kevin had given her as she watched Mars's golden eyes, absent-mindedly lifting the bottle to her lips. Kiki took a gulp from the bottle, only to burst into a violent coughing fit.

"Hoi, be careful!" Kevin snapped, leaping back over the bar and grabbing the bottle from her.

"What is that stuff?" she asked, her voice hoarse in her burning throat.

"Just shut-up and drink some more," Kevin tersely replied, thrusting the bottle back into her hand.

Kiki nodded her head, taking another gulp. Her eyes began to water, but this time she knew it was not tears of sadness that were forming. Through the watery haze of her eyes, Kiki watched as Kevin disappeared into the toilets.

"What a horrible man," she groaned, looking down at Mars again. "Now I know why you hated him so much, Mars," she told the picture, before taking another gulp of whiskey. "I just don't understand why you let him live."

Kiki took another gulp, then giggled slightly.

"What a complete mess!" she said loudly. "Crashed my sister's car, and I killed a bike. And not just any bike! It did have to be Kevin Mask's bike, didn't it?"

Kiki took a larger gulp of the whiskey, finding that it felt quite good once the burning sensation had ceased. She looked down at Mars, smoothing a hand over his face, her eyes fixing onto those golden eyes of his.

_Every now and then I fall apart. Turn around, bright eyes._

"And some supermarket this is!" she said, waving her hands about.

The bottle sloshed in Kiki's hand, drawing her attention to it again. She took another gulp, casually wondering where the bartender had gone. As she stared at the bar, someone walked into her line of vision.

"Kevin Mask!" she shouted, pointing at him.

"Yes, well, perhaps that's enough of that for now," he said quietly, taking hold of the bottle she still held in one hand.

As Kevin tugged at the bottle, Kiki's tightened her grip, narrowing her eyes menacingly at him.

"Let go," he said.

"No!" she yelled, swiping at his hand with her other hand.

Kevin watched her pitiful display for a moment, before giving a short, sharp tug upwards, effortlessly pulling the bottle out of her grip.

"Hey!" she argued, standing up.

"Sit down and shut-up, girl!" he warned, placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her back down onto her seat.

Kiki picked up her programme, eying Kevin over the top of it. He ignored her, replacing the lid to the bottle and sliding it into one of the pockets of his coat.

"I want to go home now," she reminded him.

"The taxi is on its way," Kevin calmly replied.

Kiki returned her attention to her programme, satisfied for the time being with Kevin's response. She began looking through the other pictures of Mars, smiling dreamily as she thought back to all the stolen moments they had shared together outside the dancehall. Kiki sighed softly to herself, causing Kevin to growl in disgust; but Kiki did not hear him, as she was too lost in her thoughts of Mars.

_And I need you now tonight. And I need you more than ever._

Kevin began to pace back and forth in front of Kiki, his coat billowing out behind him. Kiki was vaguely aware that there was something wrong with Kevin, something that she felt she really should do something about; but she was too engrossed in her thoughts of Mars to give the matter any serious consideration.

She wished Mars would walk into the room at that moment and take her home. Anything to escape the scene of the accident and having to spend any more time in Kevin Mask's surly company. At least Mars would have given her his coat. At least Mars would have comforted her when she was crying.

_And if you'll only hold me tight, we'll be holding on forever._

Everyone else had been so damning of Mars, especially when he had revealed himself to be a member of the DMP; but Kiki knew better than they did. She knew who he really was. She knew that he was something more than they could see. Something that only she could see. And together they had shared something wonderful, that, no matter how many people tried to tell her it was bad or wrong, she knew was right and perfect.

_And we'll only be making it right, cause we'll never be wrong together._

"Thank God!" Kevin said, marching towards Kiki. "Come on, up you get, the taxi's here."

Kiki closed her programme, slipping it back into her bag. She got to her feet and started after Kevin, but suddenly found herself feeling light-headed and unable to co-ordinate her feet. Kevin sighed, walking back towards her.

"Come on," he muttered, grabbing one of her arms and dragging her out to the car park.

Kevin dragged Kiki all the way to the taxi, opening the back door and pushing her inside. He slammed the door shut behind her and then sat into the front passenger seat.

"The Travel Inn at Junction 3," he said to the driver.

Kiki, who had been literally thrown into the back seat, still lay in a pile across the two seats. She started to push herself up, her head swimming. The feeling only became worse as the taxi turned around 180 degrees, completely disorienting her. She groaned, throwing herself back into one corner of the back seats.

Once safely in a sitting position, Kiki shuffled herself around and pulled on her seatbelt, struggling for a long time to aim the seatbelt into the catch. Once she had achieved her goal she lifted her head, smoothing back her hair with both hands. She paused as she suddenly found herself looking into Kevin Mask's yellow eyes. He had flipped down the visor in front of him and was watching her in the mirror.

Kiki started to sit forwards to talk to him, but he quickly snapped the visor shut and cleared his throat again.

Kiki flopped back against the seat, allowing her head to loll back. She just wanted to sleep more than anything. She had been tired all day, and the craziness of her accident and having her life threatened by Kevin Mask had worn her out even more. And of course, that whiskey Kevin had given her had only worsened her condition.

Kiki closed her eyes, images of Mars slipping through her mind.

_Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart._

In her semi-awake state, Kiki found herself reliving all the time she had spent with Mars, from the day she had first laid eyes on him in his Eskara disguise when he had chosen Terry Kenyon as his opponent, until the day she had walked away from him in the hospital.

What really would have happened if she had just gone with him?

_There's nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart._

"Kiki!"

"Huh?"

Kiki pulled her head forwards, frowning at Kevin, who was looking at her over his shoulder.

"Are you staying at the Travel Inn with all the other wrestlers?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied.

"Good."

Kevin turned back to the road ahead, leaving Kiki frowning thoughtfully.

"Why, are you not, Kevin?" she asked him.

"Of course not," he growled. "I'm not stupid, boring and annoying enough to stay with them."

"Oh yeah."

Kiki threw her head back again, not really caring whether or not Kevin's answer had actually made any sense to her. Outside it was getting dark again, telling her they had turned off the freeway again, and were on their way to the hotel once more. She was glad that she would soon be in a warm dry bed, but she was not looking forward to having to confront Roxanne and Trixie, or any of the others who may happen upon her on her way to her room.

She closed her eyes again, enjoying the quiet darkness around her while she still could.

_Once upon a time there was light in my life, but now there's only love in the dark._

"Okay, here we are," Kevin said, as the car drew to a halt.

The force of the car braking threw Kiki forwards, the sensation of sudden braking sending a fresh rush of panic through her as she briefly relived the moment she had collided with the tree. She was suddenly very much awake, and very alert. She turned to Kevin, blinking at him expectantly.

"Get out of the car, Kiki," he said plainly.

"Right," she said, nodding her head. "Well, thanks for the ride. What do I owe you?"

"Never mind, I'll pay your fare," Kevin assured her, waving a hand at her to usher her out. "Just get out of my sight."

"Oh it's just as well you've brought money," Kiki said slowly. "Cause even though I was meant to be going shopping, I didn't take my bag with me. Just the programme."

"Yes, the stupid programme," Kevin grumbled. "Get out of the car."

Kiki unfastened her seatbelt and opened the door, shuffling herself around to place her feet out onto the ground outside. She struggled to stand up on her feet, grabbing at the door, which swung away from her, causing her to lose her footing and stagger about aimlessly. She heard Kevin sigh inside the car, and then the door next to her swung open.

Kevin stepped out, grabbing one of Kiki's arms again and dragging her towards the hotel entrance. As she stumbled after him, Kiki looked down at her torn IWF bag, smiling again as she thought of Mars. She wished he were waiting for her in the hotel, as that would have been a nice surprise.

_Nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart._

"It's locked."

Kiki turned to look at Kevin, blinking at him blankly.

"The door," he said slowly. "Is locked. They must lock it after a certain time of night. You will need your key to get in."

"Key?" Kiki asked.

"Yes, your key. You do have the key, don't you?"

"Yeah, it's on my keychain."

"Right. So where is your keychain?"

"Attached to the car key."

"And where is the… It's still in the car, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Kevin sighed in despair.

"Look, can't you just phone one of your little friends and get them to come down and… No, you can't even do that, because you left your phone in your hotel room. Fantastic. Back in the car then."

"Where are we going?" Kiki asked as Kevin bundled her back into the backseat.

"To get your keys."

Kiki shuffled around into the seat once more, pulling on her seatbelt. Kevin seemed to be terribly angry about something, but she did not know what it was. She let her head flop back again, and closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

As she slipped from consciousness, Kiki remembered how troubled Mars had seemed when he had revealed his true allegiances. She sensed that he somehow regretted it. She had thought a lot about it, and she had eventually come to the conclusion that Mars had wanted to be good. He had wanted to be the best, just like all the other Chojins. He just did not want to go about it in the same sappy way Kid Muscle and his friends had.

_Every now and then I know you'll never be the boy you always wanted to be._

Yes, Kiki thought to herself, she understood more about Mars than even Mars himself thought she did. She had understood and seen more to him. A lot of what she had learned about him she had learned since he had left, as reflection on the situation as a whole gave her the opportunity to scrutinise the smaller details of things he had done and said, time to uncover their true meanings.

And he was not all bad.

Just like how she was not all good.

All of her friends thought she was some sort of ditz, who was naïve and stupid. But they did not really know her. None of them did. Only Mars had seen another side of her, and that was why being with him had been so beautiful.

_Every now and then I know you'll always be the only boy who wanted me the way that I am._

Mars had been so special to Kiki, no-one could possibly understand what she had felt for him, and what she still felt for him.

_Every now and then I know there's no-one in the universe as magical and wondrous as you._

She prayed that he was still alive. No-one could ever replace him.

_Every now and then I know there's nothing any better, there's nothing that I just wouldn't do._

Kiki's head snapped forwards as she was brought abruptly back to the world around her. She watched on sleepily as Kevin Mask leapt out of the taxi and ran over to the remains of her sister's car. He leaned in, grabbed out the keys, and ran back over. He threw the keys through the front passenger door at Kiki, who caught them awkwardly at her chest, and then he got back into his seat.

"Back to the Travel Inn," he told the driver.

Kiki studied the keys in her hands, counting through them carefully. She bit into her bottom lip, looking up at the back of Kevin's mask. Luckily Kevin was not watching her, and so did not see her go deathly white.

Kiki counted the keys again: one key for the car, one key for her parents' house and one key for her sister's house.

Kiki looked up at Kevin again. She suspected he was about to get even angrier.

_Every now and then I fall apart._

Kiki began to shuffle awkwardly in her seat, her anxiety growing as they neared the hotel again. She really wished she had not drunk any of that whiskey at all, as it was affecting her ability to think clearly, and she really needed to think right then, and think fast.

The taxi braked abruptly again outside the hotel, and Kevin wasted no time in jumping out and coming back to open Kiki's door. Kiki quickly unfastened her seatbelt as he grabbed her arm, stumbling out as he tugged at her. She staggered after him, watching him fearfully.

"Give me the key," he demanded, holding a hand out towards her.

Kiki gulped, dropping the keys into his gloved hand. He stepped up to the door and began sifting through the keys. Kiki closed her eyes, again wishing that Mars were there at that exact moment to save her from the inevitable disaster that would follow Kevin's discovery of her missing key.

And I need you now tonight. And I need you more than ever. 

"Kiki…"

"Yes?"

Kiki half-opened her eyes, watching Kevin through the slits she had created.

"None of these keys fit the door," he said slowly. "Where are your keys for the hotel?"

"In my bag?" she said slowly.

"And where is your bag?" Kevin asked.

"In my hotel room?"

Kevin dropped the keys to the ground, but otherwise remained motionless and silent. Kiki slowly crouched down and retrieved her keys, wobbling a little as she straightened up again.

"Do you know what, Kiki?" Kevin said quietly.

"Um, no?" Kiki said.

"Do you know I should have taken Kid Muscle home, and let Meat deal with you," he said. "It would have been far easier. Now what am I meant to do with you? Perhaps if we threw a stone at the window of that Roxanne girl's window. Or maybe the gazelleman's window, he always had a soft spot for you, didn't he?"

"I don't know which room anyone is staying in, not from out here," Kiki quietly replied, as fresh tears stung at her eyes.

Kevin turned towards her, sighing as he saw a tear slip down her cheek.

"Yes, yes, alright, there's no need to get upset about it now!" he said.

"But I'm so tired, and I'm so cold, and I'm so wet!" Kiki sobbed.

"Yes, well, I'm sure there will be a spare room at my hotel."

"But I don't have any money."

"I will gladly pay for you to stay there."

"You will?"

"If it gets rid of you, then yes. Yes I will."

"But I don't have a change of clothes, or any shampoo, or my toothbrush, or–"

"Not to worry, we can buy all those things at the hotel. Come now."

Kevin guided Kiki back to the taxi, helping her back into the backseat in a more sympathetic manner than before. He got back into the front passenger seat and ordered the driver on.

Kiki continued to sob quietly to herself in the back seat. All she really wanted was a hug. How she wished Mars were there.

_And if you'll only hold me tight, we'll be holding on forever._

Everything just seemed right when she was with Mars. And now, without him, everything seemed wrong. Especially being with Kevin Mask. That was just awful.

_And we'll only be making it right, cause we'll never be wrong together._

During the time she had spent with Mars, Kiki had always thought that it would last forever. There was no reason to think that it would ever end. She had not truly believed that it would always be as exciting as it had been, as their secret rendezvouses would have become less secret as people learned to accept them as a couple; but Kiki had just always believed that Mars would always be there.

_Together we can take it to the end of the line, your love is like a shadow on me all of the time._

And since he had gone, all she had been left with were her inexplicable dreams of running through a dark and dreary forest, desperately looking for a way out.

_I don't know what to do I'm always in the dark._

Kiki looked up again at the back of Kevin's head, a shudder passing over her. She had been unforgivably cruel to Kevin Mask over the years, so much so that she had always believed in the back of her mind that, given half the chance, he would kill her. She had insulted him, yelled at him, badmouthed his name to others and she had dated his worst enemy.

And of course, she had just destroyed his treasured Harley Davidson, which, Trixie had once told her, was a limited edition model, a one of a kind that Kevin had had custom-built.

Kiki liked to think that if Kevin had wanted to kill her, or even just to hurt her, he would have taken the opportunity to do so when he had wrenched her out of her sister's car earlier. But of course, she reminded herself, he had had an audience then, and perhaps he would rather not be seen doing something as dishonourable as killing someone weaker than a Chojin.

Kiki tried to tell herself that Kevin was not a murderer, and he would never kill anyone; but then she remembered the shattered remains of Blox, which a team of medics had swept into a body-bag earlier that day. So not only was Kevin capable of killing, Kiki thought to herself, but he had already done so that very day. Blox had been the main course, and Kiki would be the desert.

Suddenly, Kiki felt very sick and very alone.

_I really need you tonight._

Kiki turned from Kevin, attempting to distract herself from him by watching the landscape outside rush by the window next to her. The taxi was passing the junction Kiki had taken in error earlier passing the small side road her sister's car still lay on. She was mildly grateful towards Kevin then, since her hotel had been in the opposite direction from the bar that his was, and he had gone out of his way to take her back. Twice.

Kiki turned towards the meter, which was counting away between the driver and Kevin. Seeing that the bill was nearly twice the most expensive taxi fare Kiki had ever had to pay in her life, she slowly closed her eyes, silently praying that Kid Muscle was a horrid liar, and that IWF wrestlers were actually quite well paid.

As Kiki opened her eyes again, she looked down at her hands, looking first and the dried and clotted streaks of blood on her upturned palms, before turning her hands over to study the series of scabbing gashes that littered her skin there.

It was all a mess, she thought to herself. Just a complete mess.

_Once upon a time I was falling in love, but now I'm only falling apart._

Kiki began to wish that she had just gone to the bar with Roxanne and Trixie. Even spending an evening listening to a drunk Dik Dik tell long-winded and tragic tales of his failing marriage was infinitely better than the situation she had ended up in. She still had to tell her sister about what had happened, and she was dreading that almost as much as the prospect of staying in some weird hotel with Kevin Mask.

Kiki frowned slightly as she thought back to the dingy, dirty little watering hole she had found Kevin at. If he chose to spend his spare time in a place such as that, what sort of hotel would he chose to stay in, she wondered?

Perhaps that was why he had not minded the idea of paying for her to stay there. It was probably a ridiculously cheap and monstrously awful place, just like the roadside bar had been.

Checking her whereabouts again, Kiki saw that they were still speeding along the freeway, driving out of all civilisation it seemed. Kiki returned to her programme, staring at the picture of Mars again. She briefly wondered just how many hours of her life she had spent staring at that very picture; but the thought made her suddenly think of herself as even more pathetic than she already did, and she found herself wishing she still had that bottle of whiskey Kevin had confiscated from her.

_Nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart._

Kiki blinked heavily at the picture of Mars, her hands slipping from the programme to the seat at either side of her legs. The picture was blurring and fading in front of her, and her head was falling further forwards by the second as sleep once more took a hold of Kiki. Seeing no reason to fight it, and quite relishing the prospect of a brief escape from the cruel world around her, Kiki gave in to her body's needs, and closed her eyes.

Kiki found herself rapidly becoming disoriented; something was not quite right. She was aware that she was dreaming, but the dream was more like a memory than a dream. It was a bad memory, one she did not want to relive, but one that was thrusting itself to the forefront of her mind nonetheless.

Kiki was behind the wheel of her sister's car again, and she was looking at the picture of Mars, drifting off course in her distracted state of mind. From the corner of her eye, she saw something dark and rectangular come flying towards the road, from the direction of the roadside bar. It had come from inside the bar, smashing through the window with tremendous force.

In the instant before Kiki struck the brick, she saw a large masked man in a long coat fly through the hole where the window had been in the bar, shortly followed by a second figure who was equally as large in size.

Kiki hit the brick with a sickening thud, and she grabbed at the steering wheel, swerving desperately off the road. As she bounced over the car park she saw Kid Muscle in the corner of her eye spearing into Kevin Mask, knocking him to the ground. Meat leapt out of the hole where the window had been, standing as tall as he could, his arms stretched out at his sides, facing Kevin and Kid.

Kiki clattered into the bike, which once more rolled right over the car and then she smashed into the tree. The remaining occupants of the bar spilled out, all edging around where Kevin and Kid lay as they ran for their respective modes of transport.

Kiki lifted her head from the airbag and her door was yanked off its hinges. The noise of the door opening caused Kiki to gasp, sitting up with a start.

"Get out of the car!" Kevin yelled at her.

Kiki turned to see her door had been opened, and Kevin was standing outside in the rain again, leaning over her.

"Now!" he added impatiently.

"Right!" Kiki breathlessly replied, tearing off her seatbelt and shoving her programme back into its protective plastic bag.

Kiki stumbled out after Kevin, who slammed the door shut behind her. As the taxi drove away behind them, Kiki slowly looked up, her eyes widening in wonder at what she saw.

"It's a castle!" she whispered.

"It's my hotel," Kevin calmly explained. "Now get a move on."

Kevin marched onwards, leaving Kiki staring up at the giant, gothic building in front of her. With its turrets that spiralled up into the dark night sky, its long slanted windows and the stone staircase that lead to the giant wooden double doors at the entrance, the building Kiki was looking at looked far more like a palace than a hotel.

"Kiki!" Kevin barked.

"Coming!" she called back.

Kiki staggered through the puddles and gravel of the car park, stumbling over the bottom step of the stairs by the door. She heard Kevin groan and grumble to himself and start towards her, giving her added motivation to reach the top as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Kiki stumbled and tottered around on the steps, making it to the top one unaided, where she swayed for a moment, before falling backwards. Kevin quickly grabbed her arm again, yanking her up to the doors.

"Try to at least act like you're not drunk," he snarled, before tugging open one of the large doors and shoving Kiki through the doorway.

With the force of the momentum of his shove, Kiki ran into the interior hall, staggering to a halt as she neared the reception desk. Although her feet stopped, the upper half of Kiki's body carried on for a moment longer, and she suddenly found herself doubling over, her hands almost touching the ground in front of her.

Kevin marched in behind her, pausing as she hovered bent over in front of him. He cleared his throat again in that awkward way that he did when something made him feel uncomfortable and then turned to the man behind the reception desk.

"Good evening, Mister Mask Sir," the man greeted him. "Shall I adjust your breakfast order for tomorrow to two?"

"That won't be necessary," Kevin replied. "I'm looking for another room for my… For her."

Kevin aimed a thumb over his shoulder at Kiki, who had given up trying to stand, and was instead balancing on her feet and hands. As the receptionist watched her, her knees buckled beneath her, and she landed on all fours, crawling around in a circle before thudding down on one hip.

"I see…" he said slowly, looking down at the book in front of him. "For tonight?"

"Yes, of course for tonight!" Kevin sighed.

"I'm sorry, Sir, we're fully booked tonight."

"Come again?"

"I said, Sir, we are fully booked tonight. We have no rooms available."

"Alright. Could you tell me then where the nearest hotel is to here?"

"Well, there is a motel at Junction 6, and the Travel Inn at Junction 3."

"We just came from the Travel Inn at Junction 3. The doors are locked."

"Yes. The hotels around here all lock their doors after 11pm, Sir."

"Marvellous."

Kevin turned to watch Kiki trace her fingertips along the swirls in the marble floor, singing softly to herself, her bedraggled green hair hanging over her face. Kevin cleared his throat again, drumming his gloved fingers on the reception desk thoughtfully.

"What about servants' quarters?" he tried, turning back to the receptionist.

"Say what?" the receptionist echoed.

"What about your staff sleeping quarters?" Kevin corrected himself. "Do you have a spare bed there we could deposit her in for the night? I'm willing to pay a full fare."

"I'm sorry, Sir, we can't do that. There is a women's shelter not far from here that deals with victims of domestic abuse–"

"Does she look like a victim of domestic abuse to you?"

"Well, she is bleeding."

"Yes. Yes she is bleeding."

The man at the reception desk watched Kevin critically over the top of his spectacles, raising one eyebrow suggestively as Kevin watched him.

"I didn't do it to her!" Kevin quickly explained.

"You killed a wrestler today, didn't you, Mister Mask?" the receptionist asked, before running his eyes over Kevin.

Kevin sighed, shifting his eyes to Kiki, who was now lying on her back, gazing up at the roof, her elbow rested on the floor and her hands in the air, swinging back and forth to the rhythm of the tuneless song she was still singing.

"Yes," Kevin said, turning back to the receptionist. "You had better amend my order. Breakfast for two, please."

"As you wish, Sir," the receptionist said with a nod of his head.

"Come on you," Kevin called to Kiki.

"Baby can't you see!" Kiki sang, her voice suddenly loud and clear.

"Kiki, get up," Kevin sighed.

"I'm calling!" Kiki sang on, oblivious to Kevin. "A guy like you should wear a warning!"

Kevin growled to himself, marching over to where Kiki lay.

"It's dangerous, I'm falling!" she sang up at him.

"Stupid, bloody…" he muttered, grabbing her dancing hands and tugging upwards.

Kiki giggled as he pulled her to her feet, which stumbled around beneath her.

"Come on now, stand up properly!" he said firmly.

"There's no escape!" she sang at him. "I can't wait! I need a hit! Baby, give me it!"

"I'll bloody well give you it in a moment if you don't bloody well stand up properly, you irritating little minx," Kevin grumbled.

"You're dangerous, I'm loving it!" Kiki sang, before laughing loudly and flopping backwards.

"Oh to hell with this!" Kevin cursed, tugging Kiki sharply forwards and swiftly crouching down to catch her over his shoulder as she fell forwards towards him.

Kiki fell limply over Kevin's shoulder, and he quickly stood, spinning around to face the stairs.

"Good night, Mister Mask," the receptionist bid him as he headed towards the staircase.

"Good night, Good Sir!" Kiki called to him in an attempt to mock Kevin's voice as she saluted him. "We must ascend to our throne of the castle for now!"

"If I were to throw you down these stairs, what do you suppose would kill you first?" Kevin coldly asked her as he doggedly continued upwards. "The stairs or the marble floor below?"

"You have very pretty hair," Kiki replied, grabbing handfuls of Kevin's hair at his back. "It's very pretty. You should let me put braids in it for you."

"Shut-up, please!" Kevin growled.

"Kevin, do you know you've got mud in your hair?"

"It's not mud, you stupid little girl."

"Yes it is!"

Kiki pulled at the matted brown section of Kevin's hair, causing him to hiss as she pulled out a small handful of his hair in the process.

"No, you're right!" she said loudly and suddenly. "It's not mud! It's dried old blood! You've got blood in your hair, Kevin!"

"So do you, Kiki," Kevin replied, stopping by a large door.

"But why have you got blood in your pretty hair, Kevin?"

"Because some bastard broke a chair against my face," Kevin grumbled, unlocking the door and kicking it open.

"But you wear an iron mask, Kevin!" Kiki whispered, rapping her knuckles against the side of his mask, directly over his ear.

"Ow!" he wailed, quickening his pace. "Do you mind?"

Kiki giggled, knocking on Kevin's mask again, only with more force.

"Hello!" she shouted at him. "Is anyone in there?"

Kevin grabbed Kiki's hips and flung her off his shoulder. Kiki flew backwards, landing with a bounce onto a large bed. She grinned up at Kevin, curling her fingers into the bedsheets at her sides.

"You're angry with me!" she said between giggles.

"You're damn right I am! Now pay attention!" Kevin yelled.

Kiki lifted her head from the bed to watch Kevin as he marched across the room. Directly across the room from the end of the giant bed she lay in was a door, which Kevin kicked open.

"In here, is a bathroom," he explained. "You are allowed to use this room as much as you want. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir!" Kiki replied, frowning and saluting Kevin, before dropping her head back to the bed to giggle again.

"Over here, is the lounge," Kevin continued, marching over to the doorway he had just carried her through. "You are not, under any circumstances whatsoever, to come through this door. Do you understand?"

"Whatever!" Kiki called out, holding up one hand in the air.

"Good!"

Kevin stepped out of the bedroom and slammed the door shut, leaving Kiki alone. She slowly tugged at the bedsheets, gathering them at her sides and then wrapping them over herself. She then rolled over and over in them until she fell completely off the bed, hitting the carpeted floor with a muffled thud.

Kiki giggled to herself as she struggled helplessly to free herself from her self-created cocoon. It took a lot of wriggling, crawling on her elbows and kicking with her legs to eventually free herself. Once she was out of the sheets, Kiki staggered to her feet, stumbling over to the bathroom door.

"In here, is a bathroom," she said quietly, in her best impersonation of Kevin Mask possible. "You are allowed to use this room as much as you want."

Kiki staggered over to the other door, and pointed at it.

"Over here, is the lounge," she said, again quietly mocking Kevin's voice. "You are not, under any circumstances whatsoever, to come through this door. Do you understand?"

Kiki clasped her hands at one side of her face, looking up and blinking innocently.

"Why yes Sir, Kevin Mask, Sir!" she chirped. "I understand perfectly, Mister Kevin Mask Sir!"

"Alright then, you irritating little minx!" she said in Kevin's voice, pressing her fists into her hips. "And I know you will do exactly as I say, because you are stupid, boring and annoying!"

Kiki laughed loudly and then yanked open the door, strutting into the next room.

Kevin and Kiki both yelled at what they saw.

"What are you doing in here?" Kevin yelled. "I told you explicitly not to come in here, no matter what!"

"I know!" Kiki shouted back. "Why do you think I came?"

"You little… At least have the dignity not to look at my… Oh forget it, it's too late now, isn't it?"

Kiki raised her eyebrows questioningly, stumbling slightly on the spot. Kevin sighed, hanging his head. Kiki tilted her head to one side as she watched him scratch one hand at the torn thigh of his jeans and rake the fingers of his other hand through his long, thick, dirty blonde hair.

"Yet another reason for the old git to hate me," he muttered, kicking his big booted foot into the steel mask that lay open on the ground.

Kevin sighed again, dragging both hands down his face. As his hands dropped to his sides, he stared at Kiki expectantly. Kiki turned to the sofa on her left, where he had thrown down his long coat. A short distance in front of the sofa, he had thrown his black T-shirt over the television screen, and his mask and gloves lay on the floor at his feet.

Kiki moved her eyes slowly back to Kevin's, starting towards him. He quickly held up a hand, halting her instantly.

"Just go," he said quietly. "Please. And please don't tell any of your friends about any of this."

"But Kevin, you're hurt," Kiki whispered, reaching out a hand towards him.

"It's nothing," he lied, turning his head to one side and wiping a hand over his mouth.

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing," he lied again.

"You were in that fight," Kiki said slowly.

"No I wasn't."

"You were, I saw you! You said there was a fight between two useless bastards in the bar! They attacked you, didn't they?"

"Don't be stupi… Stupid… The fight was between two Chojins."

"Kid Muscle and Meat?"

"No."

"Then who?"

"Well… Red Warrior Number Six and…"

"Red Warrior Number Six! That's the guy who raced with Marie, the one who looks just like Mars."

"Looks just like Mars? What the devil are you talking about?"

Kevin frowned at Kiki, who continued to stare at him expectantly with wide eyes.

"Yes, well, if it gives you pleasure to say such redundant things, far be it from me to enlighten you to the truth," Kevin muttered.

He flicked his hair back from his face again, clearing his throat again.

"And Black Warrior Number Three," he finished.

"Black Warrior Number Three!" Kiki cooed. "Ooh! That's… That was… That was you, wasn't it?"

Kevin cleared his throat, unintelligible words spilling from his lips as he did so.

"What did you say?" Kiki asked.

"I said yes," he muttered.

"Yes? It is you? You were fighting with Red Number Six? But why? And didn't you say the fight was between two useless bastards?"

"Perhaps."

Kiki shook her head in the hope that the movement would shake some sense into her thoughts; but nothing seemed to be able to make any sense of the night Kiki had just had.

"You're bleeding," she said decisively.

"No, I was bleeding," Kevin corrected her. "But I'm fine now. I just need to clean these little cuts on my leg here."

Kiki lowered her eyes to the two linear tears in Kevin's jeans, seeing two deep gashes through the flesh of his right thigh.

"Kevin, that looks really bad!" she said, starting towards him again.

"Oh, he's done worse, I don't honestly think he meant to hurt me," Kevin casually replied, picking at the torn, bloodied fabric of his jeans around the upper wound. "It's all just horseplay to him. There was a time you know when we were the best of friends. I know you may find that hard to believe, Lord Flash, but it's true."

"What did you just call me?"

Kevin's head snapped up, and his bright blue eyes fixed onto Kiki's, his expression looking all the more startled as the dark, dried blood that caked his nose and mouth made his eyes seem all the more vibrant.

"Get away from me!" he said, pointing at the door behind her.

"But you're covered in blood–"

"I'm fine!"

"You are so darn stubborn!"

Kevin fell silent, staring at Kiki again with wide eyes. Kiki sighed, marching back through the door to the bedroom. Kevin watched her disappear, unsure of what to do next. As Kiki yanked a hand towel off the towel rail in the bathroom and turned on the tap in the sink she heard him clear his throat again. She shook her head, rolling her eyes.

Kiki thrust the towel under the flow of water from the tap, drenching one half of the towel. She then marched back through to Kevin, balling up the wet part of the towel in one hand. She reached the towel up to his face, wiping at his mouth.

"Hoi!" he protested, pushing her hand back as she pressed the towel against his jaw.

"Oh just stop being so darn stubborn, why don't you?" Kiki snapped, grabbing a handful of Kevin's hair with one hand and yanking downwards.

Kevin yelped, stumbling forwards as his head bent down towards Kiki. Holding onto the chunk of hair at his shoulder, Kiki began wiping the towel over Kevin's face, cleaning away the dried blood. Kevin watched her silently, becoming suddenly so still, Kiki began to suspect he was no longer even breathing.

As she finished, Kiki moved her eyes to his, studying him carefully for a moment.

"There now. Was that really so hard?" she asked, opening her fingers to release his hair.

Kevin still did not move, only his eyes moved, flitting back and forth as he stared into hers.

"Please tell me," he said in a low voice. "That you did not just graduate as a nurse."

"I just graduated as a biologist," Kiki quietly replied.

"Is that some strange speak for nurse?" he asked cautiously as a strand of his hair fell forward, brushing against Kiki's forehead. "In England a nurse is that woman in the white dress who helps sick people in hospitals."

Kiki blew the loose strand of Kevin's hair aside, smiling up at him.

"I'm not a nurse, I'm a biologist," she assured him. "I want to go into biological research."

"I see."

"Kevin."

"Yes Kiki?"

Kiki slowly reached a hand up to his face, tracing the outline of his nose, lips and chin with the tip of one finger.

"Do you know what, Kevin?" she whispered, pressing her finger against the tip of his chin and watching his lips as she spoke.

"What?" he asked.

"Seeing you like this is so amazing," Kiki whispered, lifting her eyes to his. "Because now I can honestly say that those raving Kevin Mask fangirls were all right."

Kevin cleared his throat again as Kiki tilted her chin upwards and he suddenly found that his lips were mere inches from hers.

"They-they were?" he asked, trying to fight off the squeakiness that had suddenly crept into his voice.

Kevin tried clearing his throat again, but that only made Kiki smile and move even closer to him.

"Oh yes," she said, her eyes glancing at his lips before locking onto his eyes again. "They were all so right about you, Kevin."

"Really?" he pressed, beginning to feel a distinct throbbing sensation in the pit of his stomach that made him want desperately to close that miniscule gap between them.

"You, Kevin Mask, really do look just like Nick Hasler," Kiki said softly.

"What?" Kevin echoed.

Kiki threw back her head and laughed out loud at him. Kevin straightened indignantly, a cooling sensation washing over him as his pride was suddenly wounded.

"Stupid girl!" he spat at her as she staggered around with laughter. "Get back to your room!"

Kiki doubled over, her arms hugged around her ribs, laughing so much that tears were slipping from her eyes.

"I'll show you Nick bloody Hasler!" Kevin roared, marching towards her.

Kevin grabbed Kiki over his shoulder again, carrying her back to the bed. Again he threw her down, standing over her for a moment as his chest heaved in angered, laboured breaths. Kiki rolled around on the bed, kicking her legs in the air and clutching at her ribs as she howled with laughter.

"And this time, damn well stay where you are!" he shouted, jabbing a finger at her.

Kevin marched towards the door, muttering to himself as he went.

"Stupid, green-haired, freckle-faced, perky, peppy, girly, little tease!" he grumbled. "Troublesome, irksome, irritating, infuriating wench!"

Kevin slammed the door shut so hard, it shuddered for moment, then each of the hinges snapped, causing the door to collapse.

"Damn you!" Kevin screamed.

Kiki burst into a fresh fit of hysterics; she could not remember a time when she had laughed so loud, so hard, or for so long.

* * *

"Hey Kid, are you alright there?" Meat asked, pausing by the stairs of the hotel to wait for his student. 

"Look at me," Kid moaned, indicating the damp patch on his jeans again.

"It's okay Kid, I nearly did much worse when I saw what was happenin' in there," Meat assured him. "Now come on, let's get an early night. You've got a big day tomorrow! It's your quarter-final match against Mystery Warrior Red Number Five!"

"Mystery Warrior Red Number Five," Kid mumbled, dragging his feet as he followed Meat. "What does any of it matter if Roxanne doesn't even want me?"

Kid hesitated by the entrance to the hotel bar, blinking several times in disbelief at what he saw. Inside the bar were six of his friends. Wally was trying to escape from Dik Dik, who was about as drunk as he could be. Dik Dik was grabbing at Wally and wailing about his ex-wife, begging the walrus to offer him some sage advice.

A short distance from them, Trixie was sitting on Terry's lap, her arms neatly folded around his shoulders. The pair were watching Dik Dik and laughing at his pathetic state.

On a table in front of them, Jaeger and Roxanne were dancing together. Jaeger had his hands on Roxanne's hips, which were swaying against Jaeger's. Roxanne was holding her hands together at the back of Jaeger's neck and she was gazing up into his eyes, a sweet smile on her face; the same sort of sweet smile Kid had always dreamed she would wear for him, but she never had.

"That does it," he growled, marching into the bar.

"Hey Kid, where are you going?" Meat called to him, drawing the attention of the gang inside, who all turned to Kid.

The smiles around him slowly faded as Kid stomped up to the table Roxanne and Jaeger were dancing on. Jaeger stopped moving, his eyes widening as he saw Kid approach.

"Are you fighting tomorrow, Jaeger?" Kid calmly asked the German Chojin.

"I don't know…" Jaeger slowly replied. "It's a surprise, ja?"

"Well, if you are fighting tomorrow, you'll be fighting me," Kid explained. "If you're fighting the day after that, you'll be fighting Ricardo. I think you could beat Ricardo, which would mean in about a week, you could be fighting me in the semi-finals."

"Ja, I know," Jaeger agreed, lifting Roxanne's arms off of him and turning fully towards Kid. "I hope ve can have a fair fight."

Jaeger held out his hand towards Kid, who stared at it long and hard. After a tense silence, Kid moved his eyes up to Jaeger's, deepening the already present frown on his face.

"Whether I fight you tomorrow afternoon, or next week," Kid began quietly. "It's still way too long to have to wait to kick your ass."

"Vot?" Jaeger echoed, withdrawing his proffered hand and straightening up again.

"I said I'm gonna kick your ass, weiner boy," Kid quietly replied. "And I'm gonna start by getting your sorry ass well away from my girl."

Jaeger started to talk, but his words were lost in a cry of shock as Kid grabbed both his ankles and tugged hard, causing Jaeger to fall backwards. Kid kept his hold, dragging Jaeger to the ground. Jaeger hurriedly sat up as Kid dropped his ankles, shifting his weight to his feet and starting to stand; but a sharp punch in the face from Kid knocked him staggering into the table.

Roxanne screamed, leaping off the swaying table where Wally caught her, helping her to her feet.

"Kid, no!" she cried.

Jaeger spun around and aimed a right roundhouse punch at Kid's jaw, but Kid put out his hand, catching the blow, and used his other hand to thrust a well-aimed fist into Jaeger's gut. Jaeger doubled over, momentarily winded by the move. Kid did not allow Jaeger the chance to recover.

Grabbing Jaeger's green helmet between his hands, Kid headbutted it hard, shattering it and tearing part of his own mask and skin in the process, drawing blood from his forehead. Releasing his hold of Jaeger, he kicked at Jaeger's head, dislodging his helmet completely.

"Stop it!" Roxanne screamed.

Jaeger raked the fingers of both hands through his tousled blonde locks, narrowing his eyes menacingly at Kid. There was a brief pause as Jaeger slowly bent his knees, gathering energy like a coiled spring. Jaeger then pounced onto Kid, and the two fell backwards, smashing through a table and landing in a pile of shattered wood.

"Hey!" Meat yelled, running towards them.

Jaeger began punching frantically at Kid's ribs, but Kid quickly lifted up his legs, winding his knees around Jaeger's neck. Squeezing his legs together until Jaeger choked and spluttered for air, Kid brought his legs back down sharply, driving the top of Jaeger's head into the pile of shattered wood.

"You're gonna kill him, you stupid, selfish, inconsiderate pig!" Roxanne screamed, running over.

Kid opened his legs, allowing Jaeger to fall limply to the ground, where he groaned and grabbed at his head.

"Roxanne," he said softly as she approached him.

"Why the hell did you have to go and do that, huh?" she demanded, planting her hands on her hips as she leaned over him.

"I love you, Roxanne, and–"

"You love me?" Roxanne interrupted him, almost choking on the words.

"And I will fight for you, Roxanne," Kid finished.

"You're fighting too late and you're fighting the wrong damn person, Kid Muscle!" Roxanne yelled.

"But I love you, Roxanne!"

"What did you expect me to do, stand by and let you beat up Jaeger like a thug from the DMP would do? And then what? I give you a kiss?"

"That would be nice."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Here, have this!"

Roxanne swung a fist at Kid, punching him square on the nose. Kid fall back, clutching his hands over his nose as it throbbed and tears pricked at his eyes.

"Men!" Roxanne screamed at the roof. "I hate them all!"

"Okay!" Trixie said abruptly, leaping off Terry's lap. "I think it's about time we got you to bed!"

Trixie hurried over to Roxanne, grabbing her arms and pushing her out of the bar ahead of herself. The others watched them go before tending to Kid and Jaeger.

"Assholes!" Roxanne muttered as Trixie pushed her up the stairs. "Jerks!"

"We get the idea, Roxanne," Trixie assured her.

Trixie pushed Roxanne all the way to the door of her room, stopping there as Roxanne fished her keys out of her bag.

"I hate them all, Trixie," she said firmly as she unlocked the door of her room.

"Of course you do," Trixie sympathised.

"From now on, I'm not dating anyone!" Roxanne said decisively. "Ever! I'm gonna be just like Kiki!"

Roxanne threw open the door, pausing in the doorway.

"Hey, what happened to Kiki anyway?" she asked, turning to Trixie.

"She went to the "supermarket", remember?" Trixie drawled, rolling her eyes. "I bet you all the money in your purse that she just snuck up to bed when we turned our backs. I bet she's been asleep in there all this time, dreaming about Mars."

Roxanne sighed, stepping back out into the corridor to look at the door to the left of hers.

"Poor Kiki," she said softly. "She's such a nice girl. She's always doing the right thing, she never gets angry or argues with anyone… Poor Kiki. She needs some excitement in her life. Y'know, something to take her mind off of Mars."

"Yeah, I'm working on it," Trixie said, winking at Roxanne. "Now go to bed!"

Roxanne nodded her head, disappearing into her room and closing the door. Trixie walked on to the next door along, unlocking it and slipping into her own room. She paused there, letting out a long sigh.

"What a night," she muttered under her breath. "Just as well Kiki slept through it. I doubt she could handle that much excitement…"

Trixie took one step into her room, stopping abruptly.

"Damn, my bag!" she muttered.

Trixie opened her door again, hurrying back along the hall to the staircase. She hurried down the steps, heading for the bar; but the sound of two very familiar voices made her skid to a halt at the bottom of the steps.

To her left, Trixie could hear that the Chojins were still tidying themselves and the mess they had made up; but to her right, down the corridor of the ground floor rooms, Trixie could just make out two men talking about something in hushed tones.

Trixie crept over to the hall, spying around the corner at the open doorway a short way down the hall on her right. Although she could not see who sat within the room, their voices were so distinct Trixie did not need to see their faces to know who they were.

"So tomorrow we will give the fans what they really want to see," Ikeman whispered. "It will be Red Warrior Number Three against Red Warrior Number Five."

"Yes," Vance agreed quietly. "Because Kid Muscle's story is a love story, and everybody knows that every true love story must have a tragic ending. Red Warrior Number Five will finish Kid off in our specially themed match."

"And once Red Warrior Number Five finishes off Red Warrior Number Three, he will go on to fight Red Warrior Number Six in the semi finals, giving all the fans the grudge match they have always wanted to see!" Ikeman finished.

"Yes, the Red Division is suddenly getting a lot more interesting," Vance added. "And these new themed matches of your sister's will definitely help spice things up. Kid Muscle versus Jaeger, with Roxanne's love at stake. Whoever gets to the top of the pole first, wins!"

Trixie's eyes doubled in size as she mouthed out the words "Kid Muscle versus Jaeger".

"And Red Warrior Number One versus Red Warrior Number Six will be the Electrolix match," Ikeman whispered. "I have no doubt that arrogant fool Six will win, but hopefully Ricardo will give him a good frying first."

"And then we have the famous dream grudge match the fans have been waiting three years for," Vance said proudly. "It will be Jaeger…"

"…Versus…" said Ikeman.

And then together they said the name of Jaeger's would-be opponent. Trixie was so shocked, she momentarily forgot her need to be discreet, and let out a yelp of surprise. She quickly clapped both hands over her mouth, fleeing up the stairs as she heard Vance and Ikeman stirring in response to her startled cry.

Trixie ran all the way to her room, fumbling with her keys at her door, her hands quivering violently. She opened the door, hurried into the room, shut the door behind herself, locked all the locks, ran over to her bed and fell onto it, lying on her back with her legs dangling off the side of the bed.

Staring up at the ceiling in silence, Trixie thought carefully over what she had just heard. Firstly, Kid Muscle was fighting Jaeger the very next day in some sort of themed match that promoted the aim of the fight as being for Roxanne's love.

Secondly, Trixie had learned the identity of the one remaining Mystery Warrior she and the girls had failed to identify. His identity shocked her for many reasons, but as she thought about it, her heart thumping in her head as she tried to remain calm, the McMadds had been very clever. He was the perfect person to add much needed hype to the tournament; what IWF fan did not want to see him fight Jaeger, or Kid Muscle, or…

Or Kevin Mask.

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** It's the moment everyone was dreading. It's Kid Muscle vs. Jaeger, with Roxanne at stake (in more ways than one). **Chapter 19 – Kid's Biggest Challenge**. 

**A/N(2):** I am such a traitor, just like my namesake, Lucretia Decoy. The reason (excuse the pun here) I began writing and posting UM fics was to give people like me, people who I know are a minority, decent, lengthy, complete, entertaining and believable non-yaoi fics to read. After reading what Psycho Violinist of Silentwood and Harlequinny had to say, I wrote 3 new chapters to follow this one in one night. Okay, so it meant I fell asleep 5 times at work the next day, but it also means that there will be more of this fic.

FYI, guys, I have planned for 40 chapters in total, and around 150,000 words, so hold onto your hats, there's still lots more plot to come!


	20. Kid's Biggest Challenge

**A/N:** Understandably, this one is a bit bloody and violent, but it should still be safe in the PG-13 rating, I did try to keep it as clean as possible. Again, another epic chapter that is longer than most fics in this section (sorry folks!), although it's still only half as long as the last chapter.

Worryingly, my initial estimate of this story being 80,000 words has been beaten already…

**Recap:** (Takes the deepest breath so far)… Kiki crashed her sister's car, destroying Kevin Mask's motorbike in the process, through a series of unfortunate events, Kevin was forced to share his hotel room with a drunk Kiki, who saw him maskless and consequently behaved like a terrible tease towards poor Kevin, meanwhile, Kid Muscle picked a fight with Jaeger over Roxanne, and Trixie overhead Vance and Ikeman McMadd announce Kid was to fight Jaeger the next day in a themed match and Ricardo would fight Mystery Warrior Red Number Six the day after that in a ring with the Electrolix, and Trixie was shocked to learn who Mystery Warrior Red Number Six really is… (Phew!)

* * *

**  
Chapter 19 – Kid's Biggest Challenge**

"Well fight fans, we're here once again for a match from our Red Card! I'm Mac Metaphor, and by my side is my trusted colleague, Doc Nakano. But wait a minute – what's this? Where's Doc?"

"I'm over here Mac! I'm here on our specially raised platform, at the top of the pole, to check out what this next match is all about. You see Mac, all the matches from now until the final match will be specially themed matches, and the theme of today's match is Panties on a Pole."

"Panties on a Pole, Doc?"

"That's right, Mac. IWF Chairman Ikeman McMadd himself reliably informed me earlier today that this is an actual pair of Roxanne's panties. As you will remember, Mac, Kid Muscle and Jaeger are both in love with Roxanne, and today's match is all about who will get the girl!"

"Those are some interesting panties, Doc."

"They certainly are, Mac. It seems Roxanne likes her panties in a style that only Bridget Jones could be proud of: big and brown."

"I think I'm going to die," Roxanne said weakly as she stared at the image of a giant pair of brown women's underwear billowing in the wind at the top of the fifty feet high pole that extended up from the middle of the ring.

"Don't worry, I always thought you looked quite sexy in those panties, Roxanne," Kiki said to her.

Roxanne and Trixie slowly turned towards Kiki, who threw back her head and laughed maniacally.

"What is up with her?" Trixie whispered to Roxanne.

"I have no idea," Roxanne whispered back. "She was waiting outside the hotel for me this morning, and she… Well, she looked like she does now."

Trixie leaned past Roxanne, running her eyes over their diminutive friend. Kiki was wearing a grossly over-sized pastel pink T-shirt, the sleeves of which hung to her wrists and the hem of which hung to just below her knees. Kiki's hair was still wet, and was piled on top of her head, tied in place with what looked alarmingly like a black leather bootlace. The backs of her hands were covered in tiny scratches, and she was acting completely out of character.

Kiki was laughing at pretty much everything in sight. Her eyes were wide and bright, and her voice was a good few levels louder than it usually was. And mysteriously, the smell of distilled spirits hung around her wherever she went.

"Remind me again why we walked here today?" Trixie asked Roxanne.

"I didn't think she was fit to drive," Roxanne whispered. "And I couldn't find her keys anywhere."

"Did you try looking on her?" Trixie suggested. "She's probably carrying them!"

"Probably, but I don't think she's got anything on underneath or with that T-shirt, so I thought it was best just to leave it be and just walk."

"I didn't even see her car this morning!"

"You didn't?"

Roxanne paused thoughtfully.

"Come to think of it Trixie, I don't think I saw the car either. Gee, I wonder what she did last night?"

As the girls turned to Kiki again, she burst into a fresh fit of laughter, pointing down at the ring, where Kid Muscle was already standing in one corner, listening carefully to Meat's words of guidance. In the opposite corner, Jaeger was standing with Broken Junior, also taking what last minute advice his mentor could give him.

"Poor Kid," Trixie said with a sigh.

"Poor Jaeger, more like!" Roxanne tightly replied.

"Roxanne, when they fought over you last night, you smacked Kid on the nose!" Trixie pointed out. "He didn't deserve that! Even if he did turn up in a pair of jeans he had obviously pissed in! Kid loves you, Roxanne! This whole thing has been so hard for him! All he wanted was to marry you and–"

"Have five handsome children, yeah, yeah, put on a new record, already!"

Trixie sighed, hanging her head. Her plans for reuniting Roxanne and Kid seemed to have had the opposite effect she had been hoping for. Instead of driving Roxanne away from Jaeger and back into Kid's arms, Trixie had only succeeded in making Roxanne think that Kid was a complete jerk, and that her heart was better placed with Jaeger.

Looking around herself Trixie drew at least some consolation from the fact that the giant stadium was sold out. She thought for a moment that perhaps Kid's popularity had finally taken a turn for the better; but the walls of Jaeger signs held proudly aloft by the fans all around her quickly changed her opinion.

Overhead, the sky was perfectly clear and the bright white sun was high above the ring. After the horrible wet weather of the night before, some radiant summer weather had finally befallen them. Trixie eased her shoal off her shoulders, dropping it onto her seat. She contemplated sitting down and encouraging her friends to do the same, but something caught her eye as she arranged her shoal over the back of her chair.

"Oh my God!" she gasped under her breath. "Is that… Is that Kevin Mask?"

"Kevin Mask?" Roxanne echoed, turning around.

"Kevin Mask?" a chorus of voices sang.

Those around the three girls who had heard Roxanne's words all turned to the aisle that ran along the rows of seating, a wave of collective gasps of shock washing over them as they sighted a lone figure walking towards the front row.

"Kevin?" Trixie choked, her eyes doubling in size as he stopped at the end of the row the girls sat in, looking along the line of people that sat between the aisle and the girls.

"What is he doing here?" Roxanne asked.

"Well obviously he's come to watch the match!" Trixie answered.

"But why would he want to sit anywhere near us?" Roxanne asked. "He's always been such a loner! I thought he like totally hated us!"

The girls watched in silence as Kevin began to sidle along the row towards them, stepping past the awed fans that sat between the girls and the aisle. Kevin stopped by the man who sat next to Kiki, staring down at him. The man quickly got to his feet and then bowed his head repeatedly.

"It's such an honour, Kevin Mask," he began. "I'm your biggest fan, I–"

"My biggest fan, you say?" Kevin interrupted him.

"Why, y-yes. Yes, Sir!"

"Then I am sure you will not mind letting me have your seat for this match-up?"

"Of course not! P-please, be my guest!"

"Yes, very well. Get along with you, go on."

Kevin grabbed a handful of the man's shirt at the back of his neck and guided him away from the seat. He then walked into the space where the man had been, standing over his newly acquired seat.

"You left in rather a hurry this morning, girl," he said to Kiki. "As I don't wish for the pleasure of your company again, I would be much obliged if you would relieve me of your belongings. Your bunch of useless keys."

Kevin dropped a set of key into Kiki's upturned palms.

"Your delightful sage coloured skirt," Kevin added, dropping Kiki's skirt over her hands. "Your charming little woollen jumper," Kevin dropped Kiki's sweater over her skirt. "And you frilly collection of underwear."

Trixie began to choke on something invisible, bursting into a coughing fit that made her double over. Roxanne glanced at Trixie only briefly, her attention consumed by the exchange passing between the shy little Kiki and the loner Kevin Mask.

"And," Kevin said sourly. "Your girly little sandals."

Roxanne and Trixie both looked down at Kiki's feet, shocked to find that she was walking around in a giant pair of white sports socks and no shoes.

"And perhaps now that I have had the common courtesy to return your belongings to you, you will be so good as to return the favour," Kevin finished.

Kiki slowly looked down at herself, looking all down her front and checking each of her sides.

"Your T-shirt smells of eucalyptus," Kiki concluded as she looked up at Kevin again.

"Perhaps because I had a rather nasty cold when I wore it last, and–look never mind what it smells of, just give it back to me!" Kevin snapped.

"But I don't have anything else to wear," Kiki plainly replied.

"I have just given you a complete set of your own clothes," Kevin said through tightly clenched teeth. "Now give me back my T-shirt, give me back my socks and above all, give me back my bootlace!"

"Your bootlace?" Kiki asked innocently, touching a hand to her hair.

"Listen, psycho, I don't know what sort of game this is that you are playing with me now, but I want my bootlace back, and I want it now!"

"What, this bootlace?" Kiki asked, pointing at the two black strands hanging down from the top of her head.

"Must you always be such a little tease?" Kevin growled. "Do you know, I'm beginning to see just why old scarface liked you so much!"

"Scarface?"

"Yes, scarface! Now give me my damn bootlace! It's bad enough you took my bike away, I at least want my boots back!"

"I don't have your boots. But I do have my IWF Ikeman Chojin Crown Programme Part One!"

Kiki held up the ragged plastic bag she had been clutching in one hand, grinning like a fool at Kevin.

"Oh yes of course, the programme," Kevin patiently said. "Listen, you brazen little hussy, I have no desire to waste any more of my time in your tedious company! Give me back what is mine, and I can be on my way!"

"Sheesh, you are so uptight!" Kiki said, dropping her arm to her side.

Just then, the bell rang to signify the start of the much-anticipated match between Kid Muscle and Jaeger.

"Oh man, now I'm torn!" Trixie said, glancing back and forth between the ring and Kevin. "Do I wanna watch Kid and Jaeger fight it out or I do I wanna hear what Kiki was doing with Kevin Mask last night?"

"Kiki wasn't doing anything with Kevin Mask last night!" Kevin roared, waving a fist at Trixie. "Actually, do you know what? Why don't you just keep my bootlace. And my T-shirt. You can even keep my socks for all I care. I don't need this crap!"

Kevin turned his back on Kiki as if he were about to leave, but then froze on the spot, staring at something by the aisle.

Kiki and the girls leaned forwards, watching past Kevin as a tall, dark figure, whose form was swamped in a thick, deep red hooded cloak, slowly walked over to the seat at the very end of their row, and sat into it.

"On second thoughts, perhaps I shall just stay here and watch the match with you," Kevin said, turning back to Kiki. "At least that way I can make sure I definitely get my belongings back."

Kevin hurriedly sat down, leaning back in his seat and looking suddenly fascinated by the match inside the ring.

Slowly, the three girls sat down together.

Trixie was watching the last remaining Mystery Warrior at the end of the row. Roxanne was watching the giant monitor high in the stadium, which, despite the fact that the match had begun, was still showing the enormous brown flag at the top of the pole. Kiki was watching the fight, all her clothes and belongings lying in a heap at her feet, except for the bag containing her programme, which she was clutching to her chest. Kevin was looking down at his feet, apparently now preoccupied with his footwear. The Mystery Warrior was watching Kevin.

A tense silence began to build, which was only occasionally interrupted by gasps from the audience. Inside the ring, Jaeger and Kid were pounding at each other with vicious punches and kicks, shoving each other around and grabbing at each other in what more closely constituted an unruly brawl than a wrestling match.

"Go, Kid Muscle!" Kiki suddenly screamed, causing Roxanne and Trixie to jerk in their seats in fright.

"Go, Jaeger!"

The girls and Kevin all slowly turned to the source of the second voice. Although everyone else in their row was perfectly still and silent, it seemed that the cheer had come from none other than Mystery Warrior Red Number Six.

"Go, Kid Muscle!" Kevin yelled.

"Go, Jaeger!" Roxanne yelled.

"Go, Kid Muscle!" Trixie yelled.

"Go, Jaeger!" Broken yelled from his place in Jaeger's corner.

"Go, Kid!" Meat yelled at Kid.

Silence fell again, and the group slowly looked round each other.

"Go, Kid Muscle!" Kiki yelled at the ring again, thrusting a fist into the air.

"Go, Jaeger!" Mystery Warrior Red Number Six yelled at Kiki.

"Go, Kid Muscle!" Kevin yelled at Mystery Warrior Red Number Six.

"Go, Jaeger!" Roxanne yelled at Kevin.

"Go, Kid Muscle!" Trixie yelled at Roxanne.

"Hey you guys, quit arguing!" Wally yelled down at them from his position in the second row. "You're distracting us all from the match!"

"Check it out, fellas!" Terry said, pointing at the ring. "Kid's makin' a play for them dirty panties!"

"My panties are not dirty!" Roxanne roared, waving a fist at Terry.

"I thought you said they weren't yours…" Dik Dik said slowly, leaning forward towards Roxanne's back.

Roxanne faltered for a moment and then forced out a nervous little laugh.

"Well obviously they're not mine!" she said. "I mean, for a start–"

"Nein, Jaeger, it is too soon!" Broken Junior yelled, silencing Roxanne.

At last the gang fixed their attention onto the ring, watching in horrified silence as Jaeger swung his signature Red Rain of Pain through the air. Kid Muscle was starting to climb the impossibly high and thin pole, and had no way to defend himself from the attack. With one smooth, sweeping motion, Jaeger's chop tore through the back of Kid's jumpsuit and his skin underneath, leaving a gash down his back.

Kid released the pole and fell to the mat, landing on his back. He screamed in pain, arching his back up and rolling onto his side, leaving a line of blood on the mat where he had landed. Although the gash in his back was not deep, it was long, running from his left shoulder to his right hipbone.

Jaeger grabbed the tuft of Kid's hair at his forehead, dragging him to his feet.

"Atta boy, Jaeger, you do me proud!" Mystery Warrior Red Number Six yelled.

"Arsehole," Kevin grumbled.

"Hey, I heard what you just said, Mask," Mystery Warrior Red Number Six said to Kevin.

"You just hear what you want to hear!" Kevin spat back at him.

"At least I don't always gotta tell everybody everything I hear," Mystery Warrior Red Number Six shot back.

"Oh just shut-up and watch the match, would you?" Kevin said childishly. "You should be paying close attention. After all, you will have to fight the winner."

"Yeah, I will. Assuming I get past Ricardo, of course."

Kevin turned sharply to Mystery Warrior Red Number Six, but he appeared to no longer be looking in Kevin's direction; although it was hard to tell under all those layers of fabric he wore.

Inside the ring, Jaeger was setting Kid up for his Beefcake Hammer, but Kid was clawing desperately at Jaeger to fight him off. Kid eventually managed to dislodge himself from the set-up, and delivered a spinning kick to Jaeger's temple, knocking him staggering to one side. Kid quickly shot forwards and kicked Jaeger in the gut, taking advantage of Jaeger as he doubled over setting him up for a Tombstone Piledriver.

Jaeger quickly bent his knees, falling out of Kid's grasp. He brought a fist up sharply, punching Kid hard in the crotch. Kid crossed his eyes and legs, screaming as tears formed in his eyes.

"Jaeger, keep it clean!" Broken Junior yelled. "You are a Justice Chojin, you vill fight vith honour and for honour!"

"Hey Broken, you're confusin' Jaeger wid Kevin here!" Mystery Warrior Red Number Six yelled. "It's Kevin who's fightin' for honour!"

Kevin turned towards Mystery Warrior Red Number Six, who produced a copy of _Kevin Mask – The Reason_ from within one of the many folds of his robe, waggling it in the air at Kevin.

"I get commission off that, you know!" Kevin said, turning back to the ring.

"Liar," Mystery Warrior Red Number Six growled. "I know you're lyin', Mask. I know because I ain't gettin' no commission for my book. And I know you're lyin' because your leg's jigglin'."

"It is not!" Kevin snapped, drawing his feet closer to his chair.

"It is too."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"It bloody well is not!"

"Of course, maybe it ain't jigglin' cause you're tellin' lies. Maybe it's jigglin' cause its still hurtin' from last night."

Kevin shifted awkwardly in his seat, shuffling about to sit up straighter.

"How's the back, Six?" he eventually said.

"Good thanks," Six replied.

"Arsehole," Kevin muttered under his breath, sinking lower in his seat again.

Inside the ring, Jaeger was starting to attempt to climb the pole to victory. Kid ran at him, grabbing his shirt with both hands and tearing him from the pole. Jaeger fell hard onto his back, groaning as he was temporarily winded.

"You wanna get a closer look at the pole?" Kid asked, grabbing Jaeger by the throat and pulling him to his feet. "Here, let me help you, buddy!"

Kid shifted his hand to the back of Jaeger's neck, clutching Jaeger's upper arm with his other hand. He then slammed Jaeger into the pole, head first. Jaeger laughed at his attack, doing nothing to stop Kid as he repeated his assault.

"You fool!" Jaeger laughed. "Mein helmet means I cannot feel your pathetic attacks!"

"I'm not stupid!" Kid yelled, smacking Jaeger harder into the pole.

"You are if you zhink zhis strategy vill vork on me!"

Kid continued to repeatedly thrust Jaeger into the pole, bashing his helmet repeatedly into the metal. At first, only Broken was alarmed by the distinct cracking sounds that resounded with every blow.

"Jaeger, don't be such a show-off!" he yelled at his son. "You must never underestimate ze Kinnikus! Have I taught you nozhing?"

Kid dragged Jaeger back a full arm's length from the pole, then slammed him into it one last time, jumping up and slamming himself, shoulder first, into Jaeger's back to increase the force exerted on Jaeger's helmet.

"Oh my God!" Roxanne wailed, as Jaeger's helmet exploded, a shower of shattered green plastic raining down over the two warring Chojins.

"Ah, not again!" Broken groaned. "Vhen vill you learn to be more careful vith your belongings, boy?"

Jaeger staggered towards the ropes, draping his arms over them as his head spun. He grabbed at his head, trying to hold it still to ease the dizzying sensation; but Kid did not allow him the time he needed to fully recover.

Kid grabbed Jaeger, throwing him up into the air.

"Kid, no!" Meat yelled, running up to the ring apron. "There's a pole in the middle of the ring, remember?"

Whether Kid heard Meat's warning and chose to ignore it, or did not hear it for his own fury was uncertain, but he did not heed his manager's advice. Kid ran and threw himself against the ring ropes, using them like a catapult to launch his signature move, the Muscle Millennium.

"Dumbass," Six muttered, as Kid began to shot forwards like an arrow towards Jaeger's falling body.

"Muscle Millenni-ah!" Kid yelped, his arms and legs waving at his sides as he tried to alter his path.

Kid succeeded in turning himself upright in midair, only to crash into the pole front on, the speed of the impact wrapping his arms and legs around it.

"You see?" Jaeger said as he landed on the mat. "You are stupid!"

Jaeger got to his feet, smoothing his bright blonde hair back from his face and fixing his blue eyes onto Kid, watching him with a smirk as the prince slid down the pole.

"Wow, there's something different about Jaeger," Roxanne said, sitting forwards in her seat and squinting up at him.

"Like what?" Trixie asked.

"Well, it's almost like… Like he's turned heel, or something," Roxanne replied.

"Jaeger?" Trixie echoed. "Turn heel? I don't think so, Roxanne!"

"I don't mean he's joined the DMP or anything. He just seems to have a different attitude. I can see it in his eyes!"

"If you say so…"

Kid fell onto his back, causing a fresh wave of "ooh"s to spread through the spectators. The pole had smacked into the centre of Kid's body, all down the length of his face and torso. The result was that his mask had become disfigured, as the nose had been squashed and slightly torn at one corner, only adding to the already weathered appearance of his mask, the forehead of which had been hurriedly stitched over after the previous night's events.

"Hey Jaeger!" Six yelled at the ring. "Take off his mask! He can't never wrestle again if you take off his mask!"

"What?" Trixie echoed. "No! Kid, come on, get up and fight!"

"He can't wrestle again if he takes off the mask?" Roxanne said, looking suddenly thoughtful. "I never knew that!"

Roxanne watched on in concern as Jaeger dragged Kid up into a sitting position, resting Kid's back against one of his legs. Pressing his knee into Kid's back to hold him there, Jaeger grabbed at Kid's mask with both hands.

"No!" Meat yelled, thumping his fists off the mat. "Kid, you can't let this happen to you! Kid, you won't be able to wrestle ever again if Jaeger gets that mask off!"

"I can't ever wrestle again?" Kid asked weakly, as Jaeger managed to loosen the mask along his jawline. "Sweet!"

"Kid, it's not sweet!" Roxanne roared, leaping to her feet. "If you lose that mask you won't be able to wrestle any more and that means you'll have to forfeit your place in this tournament, which means you can't win the Chojin Crown! And if you don't win the Chojin Crown, Kid, you'll never manage to prove to that tyrannical bastard King Muscle that you are a man in your own right!"

Trixie began to smile at Roxanne, her eyes watering over as she finally saw proof that her plan was working. She turned to Kiki for her response on the matter, but as she caught sight of her friend, her face dropped out of its smile. Kiki was chewing the bootlace dangling from her hair whilst holding her keys up above her head in an odd shape, watching them with a confused expression on her face.

Shaking her head, Trixie turned back to the ring, where Kid was finally showing some signs of fighting back. He had grabbed Jaeger's wrists, halting his progress. Jaeger was straining to continue with the removal of Kid's mask, but Kid seemed to have a new lease of energy to fight back.

"Damn!" Roxanne cursed, burying her face into her hands.

Trixie and the others slowly looked up at what had distracted Roxanne, finding a replay of her heartfelt motivational speech to Kid being played out on the giant monitor high in the stands of the stadium.

"I can't believe they've turned this tournament into a stupid little drama of emotions!" Roxanne growled, eying the monitor again as it began to show flashes of previous matches where she had been cheering for Kid.

"Oh man, that's a bit personal, isn't it?" Trixie said as the monitor showed flashes of The Ultimate Muscle Challenge, more particularly the heated argument that had passed between Roxanne and King Muscle during Kid's match against Bone Cold. "But I guess it's better than the shot of those giant granny underpants, right?"

Kid Muscle glanced up at the monitor himself, his eyes widening at what he saw. Jaeger quickly capitalised on his distraction, running back to the ring ropes and bouncing off them back at Kid. As he shot forwards, Jaeger brought up one knee, driving it into the back of Kid's neck. Kid fell forwards, his body folding in half under the blow.

"This isn't fair!" Meat yelled at anyone who cared to listen. "This is a set-up! Kid can't win this if he's distracted like this!"

"Meat's right, this is a set-up," Trixie muttered to herself.

"What do you mean, Trixie?" Terry asked her, leaning forward in his seat to speak to her.

"Well…" she began, glancing around herself before continuing. "The McMadds want Jaeger to advance to the next round," she whispered to Terry. "They think if he does, he'll be fighting that guy over there, Mystery Warrior Red Number Six, and they think that would up their ratings even more."

"They're probably right," Dik Dik whispered, leaning forwards to join their conversation.

"Why?" Terry asked them both in a hushed voice. "Who is that guy, anyways?"

Trixie and Dik Dik turned to face each other, each staring blankly at the other.

"You know?" Dik Dik asked Trixie.

"Yeah, and if you know, why the hell didn't you tell us?" Trixie demanded.

"Would one of you just tell me who the heck that guy is?" Terry asked.

"How long have you known?" Trixie asked Dik Dik, ignoring Terry.

"Think about it," Dik Dik darkly replied, before sitting back and turning his attention back to the match.

Trixie watched him, her jaw hanging open in shock.

"Trixie?" Terry pressed.

"I don't believe this…" Trixie muttered. "Oh my God…"

Trixie turned her back on Terry again as she tried to work through her confusion and concern. Terry started to talk to Trixie again in the hope of finding an answer to his question, but he was interrupted by a desperate cry from the edge of the ring.

"Kid, get up!" Meat yelled.

Jaeger was halfway up the pole, and Kid was lying in a crumpled heap in one corner of the ring. From the outside of the ring, Meat was prodding at his student, occasionally glancing up at Jaeger, his desperation becoming more evident with every stolen glance.

"You're nearly there, Jaeger mein boy!" Broken shouted up to Jaeger.

"Kid Muscle!" Trixie wailed, running up to the steel railings.

"Get up, Kid Muscle!" Roxanne cried, running to Trixie's side.

"Kid Muscle, Kid Muscle!" Terry yelled, standing from his seat.

"Kid Muscle, Kid Muscle!" Wally, Terry and Checkmate joined him, standing from their seats.

The chant soon spread through the audience, and Kid's most loyal fans stood from their seats to cheer him on. Before long, most of the spectators in attendance were on their feet rooting for Kid Muscle, with very few exceptions. Three of those exceptions sat in the front row.

Mystery Warrior Red Number Six remained seated and silent, Kevin Mask remained seated and silent, and Kiki remained seated, although she was quietly chanting along with the others.

Meat was beating his fists so hard off the mat he was beginning to loosen a section of the ring apron. His efforts were not wasted, as Kid was grabbing at the ring ropes, pulling himself up to a standing position. Kid looked dazed and confused, and he staggered for a moment, his legs crossing over each other as he stumbled to his left. He quickly hooked his left elbow over the top rope, slouching against it as he held his head with his right hand.

"Kid, you don't have any time to think!" Meat yelled at him, his gruff voice sounding all the rougher as he was starting to go hoarse from shouting so much. "You gotta get after Jaeger! Now!"

"Jaeger?" Kid muttered, dragging his hand over his face.

His eyes slowly wandered upwards, up the length of the pole in the centre of the ring. At first, when he sighted Jaeger, he merely blinked several times, as though trying to force something out of his eye.

"Come on, Kid!" Trixie, Terry, Wally, Dik Dik and Checkmate yelled at him.

"Oh no!" Kid gasped, staggered forwards towards the pole.

Kid stumbled over to the pole, grabbing onto it with both hands to steady himself. He looked up it again, panic gripping him as he saw that Jaeger was almost at the very top.

"I don't have time to climb up there," he thought aloud.

Looking over his shoulder and at each of his sides at the ring ropes, Kid rapidly worked his way through his remaining options.

"I could try jumping off the ring ropes, but…"

Kid glanced back and forth between the set of ring ropes over his shoulder and Jaeger's silhouette at the top of the pole.

"Kid, what are you waiting for?" Meat croaked. "Do something!"

"Right!" Kid agreed.

Kid powered up to Ultimate Muscle and then did a back flip out of the ring, landing in front of his friends. They all held their breaths as he leapt up to grab the top rope from his position on the ground, pulling it down as far as he could before leaping onto it like a cat.

As the rope shot upwards, Kid stretched himself up, launching himself into the air. He was poised and aimed at Jaeger as though he was preparing to deliver a vertical form of his Muscle Millennium, which seemed both stupid and dangerous to all in attendance. Silence fell over the arena as Jaeger finally reached the very top of the pole, apparently unaware of Kid's approach.

Jaeger touched a hand to the giant pair of underpants, his fingers brushing against the fabric for a split second before Kid collided with him.

Whether Kid misjudged the angle he had launched himself at, or whether he had intended to crash into Jaeger's back the way he did was not clear; but the result was certainly not what anyone had expected. The weight of the two Chojins clung to the same side of the tapering pole, some fifty feet in the air, combined with the speed and force of Kid's collision, caused the pole to bend forwards.

The audience opposite Kid's friends gasped and screamed, and began to scatter from their seats as the top end of the pole dipped towards them. Kid and Jaeger began to scream, losing interest in their goal as they suddenly realised both their lives were at stake. Jaeger clung tightly to the pole, and Kid clung tightly to Jaeger, both watching as the concrete stands below drew ever nearer.

"Everybody move, now!" Six yelled, leaping to his feet.

"What?" Dik Dik echoed, narrowing his eyes at the robed wrestler.

"Come on, we gotta move!" Six insisted. "Don't you see what's happenin'? We're da ones in danger here!"

"Good God, he's right!" Kevin declared, standing abruptly. "The pole! It will snap back in this direction with tremendous speed and force, no doubt throwing off both Kid Muscle and Jaeger!"

"Yeah, so we gotta move, come on!" Six finished.

Kevin ran to the opposite side of the section from Six, and the two began ushering the audience out of their seats. Roxanne, Trixie, Kiki, Terry, Wally, Dik Dik and Checkmate all ran to the steel railings, watching in horror as Six's prediction proved to be true. The pole slowed its descent at the opposite side of the arena, before hurtling upwards again, flicking towards them.

"Did you manage to get everyone out of harm's way?" Dik Dik asked Kevin as he joined them.

"Yes," Kevin replied, nodding his head.

"Yeah, we still make a good team, Mask," Six said, slapping Kevin on the back as he joined the group.

"Don't touch me," Kevin warned him.

Above them, the pole whipped over them, casting a linear shadow through them, which showed two figures detaching from the top of the pole and flying through the air.

"Kid!" Meat cried, running over to the steel railings.

"Jaeger!" Broken cried, running over to Meat's side.

The others turned to watch as Kid and Jaeger fell in an arc towards the now deserted seating area behind them.

"Kid, no!" Meat wailed, scrambling over the railings.

Predicting Meat's next course of action, Broken Junior leapt over the railings in one smooth hop, racing up the aisle by the end of the seating section. He leapt onto the backrests of the seats six rows back, skipping along them nimbly as he watched Jaeger's shadow descend towards him.

"Kid!" Meat cried desperately, before groaning as he fell over the other side of the railings.

As Meat lifted his head from the ground, he saw Kid crash onto the plastic seats, shattering them on impact, and Jaeger land in Broken's open arms a spilt second later.

"No!" he whimpered, pressing his face down onto the ground and covering his head with both arms.

"Jaeger mein boy, are you alright?" Broken asked, jumping off the seats and lowering Jaeger to the ground.

"Ja, danke, fazher!" Jaeger replied, smiling graciously at his mentor. "You saved my life!"

"Kid?" Terry said, creeping around the seats towards the row Kid had landed in.

"Kid?" Wally cried, running on ahead of Terry.

Wally yelled out in shock at what he saw, shuffling back and raising one arm to block his view.

"Oh dear Lord…" Terry gasped.

"What is it?" Dik Dik asked as he joined them.

Terry, who was turning paler by the second, did not answer Dik Dik. He merely shuffled back as Wally had done, gulping hard as though swallowing back bile.

"Is he…" Dik Dik began. "Oh…"

Dik Dik's eyes widened as he caught sight of Kid.

"Oh my…" he said in a low voice, averting his eyes from the scene.

"Kid Muscle!" Checkmate said, hurrying over to join the others. "Goodness!"

Checkmate clamped a hand over his mouth, his eyes widening.

"What is it?" Roxanne asked, starting towards them. "Is he okay?"

"It's probably best you don't come over here right now, Roxanne," Terry warned her, holding up one hand to stop her approach.

"How bad can it be?" Kevin Mask groaned, marching over to check it out for himself. "Surely he can't be–good God in heaven, how did that happen?"

"Heck, I did say not to come over!" Terry said to him.

"Oh, man, that is too beautiful!" Six said, looking up at the ring. "Hey McMadd, ring da bell, dis one's over!"

Six began to laugh, causing Roxanne to halt and round on him.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" she snapped.

"I'm laughin' cause I never knew Kid Muscle had style," Six explained. "Why don't you go take a look at your little boyfriend for yourself, sweetheart."

Roxanne hissed at him before continuing on towards the others. Trixie and Kiki ran after her, catching up with her as she stopped by the impact site.

"Oh God!" Trixie wailed, turning to Terry and burying her face into his chest.

Terry gladly put his arms around her, reassuring her.

Roxanne edged closer, stopping as the toe of her shoe neared a pool of blood. Kiki put a hand on Roxanne's arm, stretching up onto her toes to look over Roxanne's shoulder at Kid.

"No way!" Kiki squealed, before bursting into a fit of laughter.

Roxanne scowled at Kiki, but Kiki was too consumed in her own hysterics to notice the gesture. As she turned back towards Kid, the bell rang out through the arena, and Meat stumbled up to her side.

"It's awful Meat," Roxanne said softly. "He must have hit those chairs so hard, they shattered and cut right through him."

Meat edged closer, stepping into a pool of Kid's blood. Kid was lying on his back at an awkward angle, his body suspended in the air by the serrated seats around them that had shattered with the force of his impact. His jumpsuit and his skin were torn, tattered and bloody, and his eyes were closed.

"Oh this is all my fault!" Roxanne gasped, tears forming in her eyes. "I said I wished Jaeger would beat Kid really hard! I never meant for this… I…"

Roxanne stopped as Meat shuffled closer still to Kid, craning his neck to study Kid's chest area more closely.

"I just don't believe it," Meat whispered, reaching out a hand to Kid's wrist.

Kid's left arm hung loosely at his side, the knuckles of his hand dipped lightly into the puddle of blood by his side. His right hand was clenched into a fist and pressed tightly against his heart. Meat curled his fingers around Kid's right wrist, at first feeling for a pulse.

"He's okay, he's just out cold," Meat announced. "And on the plus side, he just bought himself a place in the semi finals of his first Chojin Crown."

Meat lifted Kid's fist from his chest, revealing to Jaeger and Broken, who could not clearly see Kid from where they stood, that Kid was, in fact, clutching the panties that had been tied to the top of the pole.

"And the winner is," the IWF official called through the stadium. "Kid Muscle!"

"Ya did me proud, Kid," Meat said softly, lowering Kid's fist back to his chest.

"Kid?" Roxanne said quietly, edging over to Meat's side.

Roxanne reached a shaking hand out towards the prince, tears forming in her eyes. Before Roxanne's fingertips could make contact with Kid, she was distracted as someone else joined their group.

"Bravo, boys!" Jacqueline McMadd greeted them, clapping her hands loudly and smirking in delight. "That was gruesome, bloody, unpredictable and it played right into my plans!"

Roxanne turned on her heel, clawing her hands in the air as she advanced towards Jacqueline. Wally quickly leapt into her path, shaking his head violently.

"I do like a winner," Jacqueline said with a sigh as she eyed Kid's unconscious form. "But I do prefer a man who wins with style."

She turned to Kevin, slowly folding her arms over her chest.

"Of course, this means I'll get the two semi-final matches I wanted to see," she continued. "In the Black Division, it's the suave and sexy Russian, Turbinksi, against my own English knight, Kevin Mask."

Jacqueline touched a hand to Kevin's arm, but he quickly swung out his arm, throwing her hand off. This action merely widened her smile. She then turned to face Kid's prone form again.

"And in the Red Division, it will be Kid Muscle, against…"

Jacqueline turned to the robed Chojin standing next to her.

"I know you can beat Ricardo," she told him. "And, just like the fans, I know I sure want to see the fight between Kid Muscle and–"

"You're really not helping matters here!" Dik Dik shouted over Jacqueline, drowning out the last of her words.

"Shouldn't you be calling for medical assistance for Kid Muscle?" Kevin asked her.

Jacqueline sighed, looking around herself.

"I'm sure one of Kid's three little groupies will call for help sooner or later," she said, waving a hand at Kiki, Trixie and finally Roxanne.

"I'm gonna kill you," Roxanne growled quietly at Jacqueline.

"Excuse me?" Jacqueline echoed, raising her eyebrows indignantly at Roxanne.

"I am going to kill you," Roxanne said slowly and clearly. "Right here, right now."

There was a brief silence and stillness around the group before Roxanne leapt at Jacqueline. Trixie and Terry quickly jumped forwards, each grabbing one of Roxanne's arms and hauling her back down.

"I'll kill you, you pink-haired bitch!" Roxanne screamed as her friends held her back from Jacqueline.

"Whatever," Jacqueline groaned, rolling her eyes and flicking her hair off her shoulder with one hand. "I'm bored of you all now."

Jacqueline slowly sauntered off, leaving a squirming, squealing Roxanne behind her.

"What's the matter Mask?" Six said, turning to Kevin once Jacqueline had disappeared from their sight. "Ain't you ever seen a woman's ass before?"

"I saw one last night, if you must know," Kevin calmly replied. "Isn't that right, Kiki?"

"Say what?" Six growled.

Kevin took a step back, positioning himself next to Kiki. Kiki looked up at him in her dazed like state, touching a hand to his hair.

"You have pretty hair, Kevvy," she whispered.

"I have pretty hair," Kevin smugly said to Six.

"Daddy's boy," Six muttered.

Kevin marched up to Six, grabbing handfuls of his robe at each shoulder and forcing him to stumble backwards as he continued his advance.

"What are you doin'?" Six demanded.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Kevin yelled back at him.

Six reached up both hands and grabbed Kevin's wrists, tugging downwards suddenly and sharply. Kevin's arms fell from Six, and he stumbled forwards. Six leaned back and then thrust himself towards Kevin, smashing his head against Kevin's.

"Ow!" Six wailed, wrapping his arms over his head. "Man, that smarts!"

"Fool," Kevin grumbled as he watched Six stagger around him, doubled over, clutching at his head. "Did you forget I wear an iron mask? Again?"

Kevin raised one fist above his head, watching Six for a little longer before ramming his elbow down onto Six's lower back. Six did not cry out in pain, but he did drop to his knees, and the fall onto his hands.

"Bastard…" he said in a choked voice.

"Get out of the way," Kevin added, kicking at Six's ribs.

The kick was more of a nudge to encourage Six to move than a vicious assault, but it angered Six regardless. He struggled to his feet, staggering back as a group of paramedics ran between him and Kevin with a stretcher.

"I'm gonna get you, Mask!" Six yelled over their heads.

"I'm waiting for you," Kevin sneered. "I only hope you've spent your time with Buffaloman wisely."

"You bet I did! Here, let me show you a little somethin' I learned there!"

Once the paramedics had past them, Six ran at Kevin, spinning around and falling to the ground just before he reached him. Kevin frowned down at him in confusion, alarmed to see that Six was clutching at his chest, and he appeared to be bleeding.

"Come now, Comrade – I mean Kevin, we must practise the OLAP," Lord Flash said, smiling up at Kevin.

"Yes, the OLAP…" Kevin scratched at his helmet in a gesture of bemusement as he glanced between the fallen Chojin at his feet and the man standing next to him.

"Come along, Kevin!" Lord Flash said cheerily.

"Yes," Kevin said, nodding his head.

Kevin turned fully towards Lord Flash, who was holding one hand out towards the backstage area, and had the other tucked up behind his back, hidden from Kevin's view. Kevin slowly walked on ahead of his trainer, who followed closely after him, keeping his hand pressed firmly against his spine.

Six pulled his robe-covered hand from his chest, cursing under his breath as he saw his own blood. Looking down at his chest, he saw four clear tears, through the thick material of his robe, through his wrestling gear underneath and through his skin. Due to the layered, folded nature of his robe, the gashes meant that a good portion of his upper chest was no longer hidden under the disguise.

Six hurriedly folded his robe over in an attempt to hide his identity and his injury, glancing over his shoulder to ensure the others were all suitably distracted with Kid Muscle's welfare. Once he had confirmed that Kid's friends were all still fussing over him and had failed to notice the altercation that had just occurred, Six hurried after Kevin and Lord Flash, leaping behind a cardboard cut-out inside the bowels of the arena to spy on them.

Lord Flash's hand that he held behind his back bore a set of four bloodied claws that appeared to protrude from the knuckles at the base of his four fingers.

"Son of a bitch…" Six grumbled, stepping out from his hiding place as they disappeared from sight.

Six started to walk on through the restricted access area, but suddenly felt a wave of panic wash over him, something he so rarely felt that he instantly knew something was terribly wrong. He turned around slowly, facing what stood behind him.

""I'm fightin' for redemption"," he read aloud from the cardboard cut-out that was staring back at him. "I get da feelin' dis tournament is about to get a whole lot more complicated…"

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** What should Roxanne do? Who of Kid or Jaeger will she choose? How about neither! Dik Dik has a confession to make to Kiki. **Chapter 20 – Sisterly Love**. 


	21. Sisterly Love

**A/N:** I have started an author tracking system of sorts under my bio section. Check it out to see how quickly (or more likely, how slowly) I'm getting through this fic, and also for updates on any new fics. Check it out for some bad news…

**Recap:** In yet another overly long chapter, Kid Muscle defeated Jaeger in a mindlessly stupid but mindlessly violent match to progress to the semi finals, Kiki went completely round the twist, and Six was disturbed to learn that Lord Flash has a secret and the McMadds are preparing to launch their third and final promotional book for the Ikeman (or is it the Jacqueline?!) Chojin Crown tournament.

* * *

**  
Chapter 20 – Sisterly Love**

"We are going out, and we are going to have fun!" Roxanne insisted, as she dragged a lip pencil along Kiki's lower lip.

"If you say so, Roxanne," Trixie replied, as she pulled a brush through Kiki's hair.

"Kiki needs some fun, I'm doing this for her!" Roxanne added.

"Sure you are," Trixie said with a sigh, dropping the brush onto the bedside table and pinning Kiki's hair up at the back of her head. "You're not doing this because you're still pissed about the IWF hanging up a small brown tent and claiming it was a set of your–"

"Nope!" Roxanne hurriedly interrupted Trixie, slapping at Kiki's face with a blusher brush. "I'm just worried about Kiki. Do you know she hasn't said a word since we left the hospital?"

"Maybe she's upset about Kid getting so badly hurt today," Trixie suggested.

"I don't think that's it," Roxanne sighed, shaking her head.

"Well then what do you think it is?"

"I think she's still upset over Mars."

"Mars?"

"Yeah. I know he died like three years ago now, but she's just never learned to let go. And she won't stop talking about him. I try to tell her that talking about it only makes it worse, but…"

Roxanne sighed again, sitting back on her feet to study Kiki's face. Kiki stared blankly back at Roxanne, almost as though she was looking right through her. However Roxanne failed to notice the hollow and vacant look on Kiki's face, as her attention was focussed on how well she had applied Kiki's make-up. She tapped an eye pencil against her chin thoughtfully, studying the area under Kiki's eyes where she had already drawn thick lines with the black crayon.

"Roxanne?" Trixie said softly.

"What do you think, Trixie?" Roxanne asked, pointing the pencil at Kiki's eyes. "More black, or should I soften it with that silver one you had?"

"Roxanne, do you think maybe we could just step outside for a minute?" Trixie said, standing up from the bed.

"I think more black," Roxanne said decisively. "She's got dark hair, she suits that whole "goth" look."

"Roxanne, this is really important–"

"I think maybe some over the eye as well…"

"Roxanne, I really have to talk to you–"

"Damnit! I hate it when these pencils break halfway through a… Damn! Oh to heck with it! She looks fine the way she is! I'm not wasting any more time on this crap, I need to get out of here after the horrid day I've just had!"

Roxanne threw the eye pencil at the wall of her hotel room, sitting back and crossing her arms in a huff.

"Roxanne, there's a lot more going on right now than just the little love triangle of Kid Muscle, you and Jaeger," Trixie said. "We have to talk. Now."

"God I wish my mom had come with us, you know that?" Roxanne said, looking down at the floor as she spoke. "I was all like "no, mom, don't bother, that asshole King Muscle will be there, and I know how much it bothers you to see him". What was I thinking? I really need my mom right now! How am I meant to get about without a car? I just wish Kiki would tell me what she's done with the car…"

"Roxanne–"

"I need a drink!"

Roxanne got to her feet, walking over the top of her bed then leaping to the floor at the other side. As she headed towards the door, she grabbed up her shoes and her handbag.

"Finish her off and bring her down with you," she called over her shoulder to Trixie as she pulled on her shoes.

Trixie's jaw fell open as she watched Roxanne exit the room. As the door slammed shut behind Roxanne, Trixie jumped in shock, unable to comprehend just how selfish Roxanne was being.

"Man, she is so blind sometimes!" Trixie muttered. "It's like she doesn't even think about anyone else but herself!"

Trixie sighed, shaking her head. She walked around to look at Kiki's face, studying her thoughtfully for a moment before gently sitting down on the edge of the bed facing her.

"Kiki?" she said softly, lifting up one of Kiki's hands and holding it in both of hers. "Kiki, are you alright?"

Kiki remained silent, the blank, unconscious expression still set firmly over her features.

"Kiki?" Trixie whispered. "Come on, I think Roxanne will need us with her tonight. She's not holding up too well. It looks like our plan for her and Kid isn't going quite the way we thought it would."

Trixie laughed a little, in the hope of at least drawing a smile from Kiki; but still she remained expressionless.

"Come on, let's watch Dik Dik get drunk and cry about his wife again!" Trixie tried, standing up and tugging Kiki's hand with her.

Kiki's arm lifted limply under Trixie's grasp, but otherwise she remained still and sombre.

"Come on, Kiki!" Trixie pleaded, tugging at her arm. "You look so pretty! And who knows? Maybe your favourite man will be there tonight!"

Kiki turned towards Trixie, blinking up at her.

"You mean Double D?" Kiki monotonously asked her.

"No, silly!" Trixie said, leaning over Kiki and grinning at her. "I'm talking about Kevin Mask!"

"I hate Kevin Mask," Kiki grumbled, turning back to the wall.

"Well he doesn't hate you!"

"Oh, I think he does. Or at least, if he never did, he will now. I ran over his bike, he had to give up his bed for me, I walked in on him naked, I stole his clothes and I…"

Trixie slowly walked around, sitting down in front of Kiki again.

"Could you repeat that?" she asked. "Slowly, and with more details?"

Kiki met Trixie's eyes, a flicker of a smile passing over her lips.

"I had an accident in my sister's car," she explained. "I swerved off the road. I crashed through Kevin's motorbike, totally destroying it, and I crashed into a tree. The car is a total wreck, it's beyond repair."

"Is that where that cut on your head came from?" Trixie asked.

"Yeah, it is. And then I realised I didn't have my keys for the hotel, and I was locked out, so Kevin took me back to his hotel. There were no free rooms, so he let me stay in his room."

"In his room? You slept with Kevin Mask last night?"

"Not exactly with Kevin Mask. It was more like I slept in the bedroom and Kevin Maskless slept in the lounge."

"Kevin Maskless? The lounge? What sort of place was it?"

"It was some sort of weird, high class hotel, where every room had a bedroom, a bathroom and a lounge."

"And Kevin took off his mask?"

"He had to. He was hurt."

"Oh my God, you never said he was on the bike when you crashed into it!"

"He wasn't. He was in a fight with… Someone…"

"Oh."

"And he was hurt. He thought I was asleep, but I walked in on him without his mask on."

"And he was naked?"

"Not that time, no."

"But you have seen him naked?"

"No. But seeing him without the mask was worse than seeing him naked, in his opinion."

"So, is it true that he looks like Nick Hasler?"

"Nick Hasler! That is such a stupid little rumour, started by a stupid little magazine, by a group of stupid little girlies."

"So he doesn't look like Nick Hasler?"

Kiki smiled for the first time that evening, causing Trixie to break into a giant, open-mouthed grin that consumed most of her face.

"From the perfectly straight, thin nose, to the low browline, to the squared off blue eyes, to the high cheekbones, to the small chin, to the pouting lips, Kevin Mask does so totally look just like Nick Hasler."

"Oh my God!"

Trixie stood up on the bed, leaping up and down and squealing in delight for a bit before jumping up especially high, and landing in a sitting position with a thud.

"Pouting lips?" she giggled, grabbing Kiki's hands and shaking them in glee.

"Oh yeah!" Kiki confirmed. "His top lip slightly overhangs his bottom lip, y'know, just like… Well…"

"Nick Hasler!" the girls said together.

"No way!" Trixie sighed. "I bet he's a fantastic kisser with lips like that! Oh wow, Kiki! You are so lucky!"

"Heh…"

Trixie leaned closer to Kiki, her eyes wide with interest.

"There's more?" she gasped.

"Well, sort of…" Kiki began, rolling her eyes to the ceiling thoughtfully. "I was very cruel to him, and I did steal his bootlaces so that he couldn't follow me. I didn't know he had a spare pair of boots, of course. And I stole his favourite T-shirt, and his socks, and…"

Kiki hung her head, falling silent.

"Hey Kiki, cheer up!" Trixie said, taking Kiki's hands again. "I just know things are gonna get better for us. All of us. Even you. In fact, especially you."

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking," Kiki sighed, lifting her head to look at her friend. "Roxanne will work things out with Kid somehow, and we would all have to be blind not to notice that you and Terry are back together…"

"What?" Trixie echoed, laughing nervously as her face started to turn pink.

"I'm happy for you," Kiki said weakly. "Both you and Roxanne. Really."

Trixie pulled Kiki into a hug, pushing Kiki's head down onto her shoulder.

"Not every story has to have a sad ending, you know," Trixie whispered to Kiki.

"I know," Kiki sighed. "It just seems like all my stories have sad endings. Like someone else is getting my happy endings."

"Oh, Kiki!" Trixie tightened her hold on her friend, sighing quietly to herself.

Trixie looked up at the roof, pursing her lips thoughtfully. Kiki seemed so fragile and so depressed, Trixie was undecided if she should reveal to Kiki what she had learned the night before.

But the more thought she gave the matter, the more it seemed to make sense to just stay quiet, at least until the following morning.

* * *

Terry, Wally, Dik Dik and Checkmate sat back and cheered as Roxanne slammed another empty beer bottle onto the table they were sat around. Very little of the table surface was still visible beneath the rows of empty brown glass bottles, but Roxanne was still smiling confidently as her challenger, who was still finishing his drink. 

"What's the matter?" she teased him as he eventually slammed down another empty bottle next to hers. "Can't you keep up with me? I don't think I could love a man who can't keep up with me!"

Jaeger swayed slightly in his seat, raising one finger as though he had a counter argument for Roxanne's accusation; but before he could voice his thoughts, Jaeger fell forwards, his head smacking down onto the table, sending the beer bottles around him flying.

The others stood up and applauded Roxanne, who sat back, crossing her arms and scowling at Jaeger. As she watched Jaeger lie in an unconscious heap on the table, Roxanne failed to notice what was happening around her. Terry suddenly stopped cheering, grabbing Wally's arm and pointing at the doorway of the hotel bar. Wally in turn fell silent, grabbing at Dik Dik, who ceased his applause and grabbed Checkmate's arm.

"Hey, guys!" Meat called over to them.

"Oh God!" Roxanne groaned, swivelling round on her stool to face the doorway. "Not that moronic, middle-aged midget–"

Roxanne instantly fell silent when she saw that Meat was not alone. Hobbling in after him bearing a multitude of bandages and two crutches was Kid Muscle.

"Kid…" Roxanne said breathlessly, getting to her feet.

"Wokthanne?" Kid said, attempting to move more quickly towards her.

"Kid!"

Roxanne hurried towards Kid, skidding a halt a short distance from him, her smile fading.

"You jerk!" she cursed him. "You absolute jerk!"

"Whuh?" he echoed.

"You've done nothing but break me heart, you big jerk!" Roxanne ranted, fighting back tears. "You jerk! You big jerk! You great big jerk! You great big jerky jerk!"

"I'm thowwy, Wokthanne," Kid mumbled.

"What?" Roxanne snapped.

"He said he's sorry, Roxanne," Meat translated. "He's havin' some trouble talkin', his face was cut and it's still badly swollen–"

"I know what he said!" Roxanne yelled at Meat. "I just can't believe he actually expects me to forgive him, just like that!"

"Whoa, Roxanne, calm down!" Trixie said as she walked into the hotel bar lounge with Kiki at her side. "Come on, let's sit down and talk this over! Kiki, get us a drink, will you?"

Kiki nodded her head, heading off towards the bar.

"Come on, let's all sit down and talk." Trixie insisted, curling an arm around Roxanne's shoulders and guiding her towards the table the others were sat around.

As they reached the table, Trixie halted, frowning at Jaeger.

"Hey, what happened to him?" she asked, looking up at Terry.

"Oh, he done tried to outdrink Roxanne," Terry explained.

"Dumbass!" Trixie laughed, sitting Roxanne back onto her stool.

Kiki joined them again, handing Trixie and Roxanne a drink each.

"I think you've probably had enough," Trixie said, snatching Roxanne's drink from her.

"Look at him!" Roxanne yelled suddenly, flinging a hand out over the table at Jaeger. "How pathetic is that?"

Trixie nodded her head between gulps of her drink, using sign language to indicate to Kiki to buy two more of the same beverage. Kiki obediently nodded her head and returned to the bar.

"He's pathetic," Roxanne whispered to Trixie. "He's all nicey-nicey and boring! Ane he has absolutely no sense of humour whatsoever! He is no fun! He is so boring!"

Trixie nodded again as she started on her second drink. At Roxanne's other side, Meat and Terry were helping Kid sit down onto the stool there. Roxanne turned her head towards them, running her eyes over Kid.

"Do you know, that's the first time Kid Muscle has ever stood up for me!" she said firmly.

"What about all those times he ran away and you made him go back and fight?" Dik Dik challenged her. "He was fighting for you then!"

"Only because I asked him to! And he wasn't fighting for me those times, he was fighting for the Muscle League!"

Kiki handed Trixie two more glasses, and Trixie smiled her thanks. Kiki hesitated by the edge of the group of bodies before walking over to the next table and sitting down to watch them all from a safe distance.

"I don't need him!" Roxanne said defiantly, standing abruptly. "I don't need Kid Muscle!"

Roxanne turned to scowl at Jaeger, who was starting to snore.

"And I sure don't need that dork, either!" she shouted, jabbing a finger in Jaeger's direction.

Roxanne marched off towards the bar, causing Trixie to stand up behind her. Polishing off her third drink and grabbing up her fourth, Trixie hurried after Roxanne, grabbing her before she reached the bar.

"I think you've already had more than enough, Roxanne!" Trixie advised.

Roxanne turned to face Trixie, studying her solemnly for a moment. Trixie paused, frowning at her friend, before starting on her fourth drink.

"Trixie, you are my best friend," Roxanne said, dropping a hand onto Trixie shoulder with a slap.

"Thank you," Trixie replied, forcing a quick smile. "Likewise."

Trixie continued drinking, but Roxanne was still studying Trixie with sudden interest.

"So loyal," she said dreamily. "So strong, so honest, so true… You've always been there for me. And you would fight to the death for me!"

Trixie finished her drink, placing her glass onto the bar top.

"Of course I would!" she assured Roxanne.

Trixie made to order more drinks, but Roxanne suddenly grabbed her into a fierce hug, gripping her fingernails into the flesh of Trixie's back.

"Whoa!" Trixie laughed nervously. "Okay, okay! I love you too, Roxanne!"

Roxanne then grabbed Trixie by the shoulders, pushing her arms out straight to hold Trixie back. Roxanne studied her for a moment, slowly running her eyes over every part of her best friend.

"Do you know what Trixie?" she said softly, stepping closer to Trixie.

"What's that, Roxanne?" Trixie asked her innocently.

"I love you," Roxanne said, moving in closer to Trixie.

"That's sweet, Rox!" Trixie joked, grabbing Roxanne by the waist and leaning back as Roxanne started to lean towards her.

"I always have done, Trixie!" Roxanne continued. "Who needs these men? We can do it on our own! All girls together!"

"Yes!" Wally, Terry, Dik Dik and Checkmate chorused, punching their fists into the air.

"No!" Kid wailed.

"I think you've had just a bit too much to drink, Roxanne!" Trixie said nervously, ducking away from Roxanne and running past her.

She hurried over to Kiki, grabbing her by the shoulder to get her attention.

"Kiki, can you go on ahead and open Roxanne's room for me?" she said. "We need to get her to bed!"

Kiki nodded, pushing herself up and trudging off in the direction of Roxanne's room. Roxanne began to sing tunelessly to herself, dancing around in a circle. She grabbed Trixie's wrists, pulling her around with her.

"Uh, Terry?" Trixie called over to the Texan. "A little help, please?"

Terry smiled, jogging over to her side.

"Come on now, Roxanne, let's get you to bed," Terry said, pulling Roxanne from Trixie.

"Hey, watch what you'we doing wiv my Wokthanne!" Kid shouted at Terry.

"I promise I'll be gentle, Kid!" Terry called to him as he hoisted Roxanne into the air.

Roxanne began kicking and screaming in complaint, but Terry held her firmly, following Trixie out of the bar.

"How much has she had, anyway?" Trixie asked Terry as they scaled the stairs to Roxanne's room.

"Too much is all I can say!" Terry replied.

"I'll say!" Trixie replied.

Upstairs, Kiki was waiting for them inside Roxanne's room. Terry carried Roxanne to her bed, where he lay her down. She was beginning to tire, and looked relieved to be in her bed. She wrapped herself into her covers, and turned her back on her friends.

"Let's leave her," Trixie whispered to the others.

Kiki walked out of the room ahead of her friends, waiting until she heard the door of Roxanne's room close before turning back towards them. Kiki paused, at first not sure how to react to what she saw. Trixie was standing with her back pressed against Roxanne's door, and Terry was standing over her, one hand resting on the door frame, the other cupping Trixie's chin upwards as he pressed his lips against hers.

Kiki sighed, turning her back on them. She started towards her own room, when a thought occurred to her.

"Hey, did you guys get Roxanne's bag?" she asked, walking back over towards Trixie and Terry.

Kiki watched the two kiss for a moment before shaking her head and muttering to herself under her breath as she marched off down the stairs again.

As Kiki entered the bar again, Checkmate walked out of the bar, carrying Jaeger. Wally was following after him, leaving only two figures in the bar. Kiki spotted Roxanne's bag, hurrying over to retrieve it.

"Kiki!"

Kiki straightened, turning to the remaining two men.

"Kiki, have you got a minute?" Dik Dik called to her.

Kiki nodded vaguely, her eyes shifting to the man sitting with Dik Dik. Were her eyes deceiving her? Surely that could not be who it looked like. Why would he be there? How had he gotten there?

"Goodnight, Kevin," Dik Dik bid the other figure, standing up from his seat.

Kevin Mask watched Dik Dik silently as he hurried over to Kiki.

"Could we just go for a walk?" Dik Dik asked, indicating the front entrance of the hotel.

"What, outside?" Kiki asked, eying Dik Dik in disbelief.

"It won't take long, I promise," Dik Dik assured her.

"Alright…"

Dik Dik indicated that Kiki should lead the way, and so she walked on, her eyes immediately drawn upwards as she stepped outside. The night sky overhead was perfectly clear and she could see all the stars and even some of the planets.

"Kiki, what I have to tell you concerns Mars."

Kiki paused, her eyes locking onto the glistening red dot low in the sky.

"Kiki, do you remember Kid's match against Mars?" Dik Dik continued.

"Of course I do," Kiki softly replied, keeping her eyes locked on Mars.

"And you remember that afterwards Mars was hospitalised?" Dik Dik asked.

"Yes."

"And you visited him."

"Yes."

"And he told you he had to leave. And he asked you to go with him."

"Yes."

"I was there."

Kiki's eyes dropped from the sky, and she frowned, her eyes darting around.

"I was standing outside his room, I heard everything you said to each other," Dik Dik explained.

"Oh," Kiki said, her eyes wandering back up to Mars.

"And Kiki, you know I had feelings for you then," Dik Dik added. "And I was so… Jealous and so wrong. I didn't want to lose you, so I… I stole Trixie's phone."

"You did what?"

Kiki spun around, fixing her eyes onto Dik Dik.

"I'm sorry Kiki, I was confused, I was in love, you know how that feels, and I just didn't want to lose you, least of all to that monster!" Dik Dik hurriedly said. "I was at the diner, and I saw you going back to meet Mars, and I just couldn't stand by and let it happen! So I pretended to bump into Trixie, and I grabbed her cell phone off her. I called the number she had saved as yours to make sure it was your number and then I sent you a message to say I was stranded and hurt, but not so hurt that I needed an ambulance, I didn't want you to make a hoax call or anything like that, I just–"

"It was you?"

"Yes, it was me."

"You created a diversion to stop me from getting to Mars on time?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"Can you ever forgive me?"

"What's to forgive?"

Dik Dik faltered, searching for something to say.

"You did it because you care about me, and it's not like it made any difference to the outcome of my future with Mars anyway, is it?" Kiki continued. "He still left without me. Trixie said he was gone before you even made that phone call, so even if you hadn't bothered, I still would have lost him. And like I already said, I was going to say goodbye to him that day, not to go with him."

"You're not mad at me?" Dik Dik confirmed.

"No. If Mars had been waiting for me and you had stopped me reaching him on time then I would be mad, but that didn't happen. And I would have regretted not wanting to go with him if he had waited, but he didn't even have the decency to wait for me, so…"

Kiki met Dik Dik's eyes, shrugging her shoulders. She smiled at him, stepping towards him and touching a hand to his elbow.

"It's alright, it's all past us now, anyway," she assured him.

"Yes…" Dik Dik slowly replied, avoiding her eyes.

"I mean, it's not like you created that distraction then went behind my back and told Mars I wasn't coming because I totally hated him, or anything really nasty like that," Kiki added, squeezing Dik Dik's elbow.

Dik Dik sharply met her eyes, looking slightly alarmed for a moment.

"That would have been a truly awful thing to do, wouldn't it?" he asked.

"Oh yeah!" Kiki agreed. "There's no way I could have forgiven you for doing something like that! Especially since Mars is now dead and there's no way for me to explain what really happened to him."

"Right, yeah… But you know that I would never do anything so despicable, right?"

"Of course!"

Kiki smiled warmly at Dik Dik, before stepping up to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. Dik Dik lightly returned her hug, gulping audibly. Kiki stepped back from him, smiling up at him one last time.

"Good night, Dik Dik," she said. "I'll see you at tomorrow's match, yeah?"

"Yeah…"

Dik Dik watched Kiki walk back into the hotel, letting out a long sigh as the door closed behind her. He turned back to the car park, crying out in shock as he found himself suddenly overshadowed by a tall, darkly clothed Chojin.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?"

Dik Dik stared up at the man standing over him, his mouth moving in the shape of words despite the fact that no noise came from his throat.

"You know I hate Mars even more than you do, Bambi, but even Mars deserved better than that!" Kevin Mask continued.

"I-I-I…" Dik Dik stammered helplessly. "I-I… Hey, wait a minute! I did tell her the truth!"

"What, you really did create a diversion for her that day at the hospital?" Kevin asked.

"Yes."

"Funny, because a little bird – or perhaps we should say a rather large bird – told me that you created a diversion for Mars, too."

Dik Dik baulked, eying Kevin fearfully.

"What was it that you said again?" Kevin said, tapping a finger at the section of his mask that covered his forehead. "Ah yes, I believe it was something like "Mars, Kiki has sent me to tell you that she hates you for lying to her the way you did. I have asked her to marry me, and she has agreed. If you ever come near her again, you will be risking your life, and you will only upset her further. Just leave her alone now, she's happy. She has a real man now". Does that sound about right?"

Dik Dik continued to stare silently at Kevin, too shocked to answer him.

"Not that trifling little things like pathetic love triangles interest me in the slightest," Kevin continued. "But I do believe a man should be honest, a Chojin warrior especially so. If you truly did care, you would have told her the truth – the whole truth."

Dik Dik slowly lowered his eyes to the ground, his ears drooping at the sides of his head.

"Of course, not that I really care in the slightest," Kevin said. "I hate Mars, and that Kiki girl is about the most infuriating little minx one could have the misfortune to know, but…"

Kevin fixed his eyes onto Dik Dik, who slowly looked up at him again.

"I suppose it is a lucky thing you were gullible enough to turn around at the Ha! Made You Look contest," Kevin said quietly. "Otherwise you would have been the one to play a starring role in this crazy plan of the McMadds. Of course, I'm sure you didn't deliberately turn around to avoid what you knew by then lay ahead of you if you made it into the tournament…"

"I did no such thing!" Dik Dik declared, standing tall. "You caught me off guard by exploiting my one well-known weakness! I wasn't afraid of anything! I wanted to win the Chojin Crown just as much as the next man!"

"Indeed. Well, enjoy the match tomorrow, won't you?"

"Enjoy the match? Are you not going?"

"Oh of course I shall be there. I wouldn't miss this for the world. I have a front row seat. I just know tomorrow's match is going to deliver the sort of entertainment one cannot even buy these days. Good night, Bambi."

Dik Dik sighed, watching Kevin walk off down the car park.

"Entertainment," he mumbled to himself as he dragged his feet back towards the hotel entrance. "Some entertainment…"

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** Terry has something to ask Trixie, Roxanne has something to tell Kid, Meat is heart-broken, and Kiki loses the last remaining shred of her sanity when she sees Six's face for the first time. **Chapter 21 – Mystery Warrior Red Number Six Is…**. 

**A/N(2):** All these reviews are making me feel all fuzzy and funky and humble and all other manners of words with the letter "U" in them. Thanks to all who have reviewed, it helps me develop the plot and it helps me spot any parts of the story I need to expand on.


	22. Mystery Warrior Red Number Six is

**A/N:** I'm back from my exotic trip to Azerbaijan! No sleep, 10,000 miles, one and a quarter bottles of blue label Smirnoff and 200g of chocolate in the space of 26 hours! Thinking of changing my name to The Insomniac Vegetarian. Anyway, enough about me!!!

Heh, 22 chapters later, I have FINALLY set up the final part of the plot for this one. From now on, the title of the story will make sense, and the chapters will probably just get even longer – dear God, like they aren't long enough already, I hear you all cry!

**Recap:** Roxanne swore off of men, Trixie and Terry shared a romantic moment, Dik Dik confessed half of his sins to Kiki and Kevin Mask wondered why Dik Dik failed to come completely clean.

* * *

**Chapter 21 – Mystery Warrior Red Number Six is…**

Kiki collected her tray of food from the snack stand, turning to look for her two friends. Her smile faded as she found that, yet again, they had abandoned her. A quick survey of the arena revealed that Trixie was walking hand-in-hand with Terry towards the seating area, and Roxanne was standing conversing with Kid and Meat.

With a sigh, Kiki slowly followed after Trixie and Terry, trying to remain optimistic. As she passed the gift shop, she glanced up at the giant lettering above it, reading it disinterestedly.

"Love, honour and redemption," she muttered to herself.

Kiki looked into the shop, where three distinct life-size cardboard cut-outs stood, each hovering over a cardboard bin of books. One was labelled "Love" one was labelled "Honour" and the third was labelled "Redemption".

"Stupid McMadds," Kiki grumbled, walking onwards.

Up ahead of her, Trixie and Terry had stopped by a giant poster that depicted a grand ball that was scheduled to take place at the end of the tournament, to which all Chojins who had been involved in the tournament from the preliminary qualifying matches onwards were invited.

"Looky here, it says "bring a partner"," Terry said, pointing at the fine print of the poster. "Say, Trixie?"

"Yes Terry?" Trixie said, turning to Terry.

"Would you… That is to say I would be much obliged – I mean, I would be honoured if you would… Gosh, would you listen to me yabberin' on? Trixie, would you be ma partner for the ball?"

"I'd love to, Terry!"

Trixie leapt up to kiss Terry on the lips, and Kiki found herself turning on her heel and aiming herself at Roxanne.

As Kiki walked towards Roxanne, Kid and Meat, she passed a wall adorned with a giant black poster, picturing the heads of three of the competing wrestlers in the Ikeman Chojin Crown. Above their heads, in white lettering, were the words "Love, Honour and Redemption" and below their heads in white lettering it read "For the girl he LOVES, for his family's HONOUR, for REDEMPTION for his sins". Kiki idly watched the poster as she passed by it, absent-mindedly reading the finer print at the very bottom of the poster.

"For Love, the prize is the Chojin Crown Championship and the girl he loves as his wife," Kiki read aloud. "For Honour, the prize is the Chojin Crown Championship and the respect of his father. For Redemption, the prize is the Chojin Crown Championship and acceptance into the Muscle League."

Kiki joined Roxanne and the others, opening her mouth to speak to them; but she never got the chance to say a single word.

"Of course I still love you, Kid!" Roxanne said softly. "I never stopped loving you. The problem is, I want a family. I never had a real family growing up. I never had a mother and a father and brothers and sisters. I want to be a mother. I want to have children. I want a husband who will be a father. And to do those things Kid, I need to be a wife."

"I want you to be my wife, Roxanne," Kid said, his voice almost back to normal at last, the swelling from his injuries having come down considerably since the night before.

"I want that too, Kid," Roxanne whispered. "I want that more than anything else in this world."

"Ah, young love," Meat sighed.

"Reminds me of my younger days," Marie said as she appeared by Meat's side.

"Marie?" Meat gasped, looking up at her. "It reminds you of your younger days? Of course, when you were in love with Suguru…"

"Those were the days…" Marie said with a forlorn sigh.

"I guess you still wish it had been you who married King Muscle instead of Belinda," Meat grumbled.

"No, not really," Marie replied. "Nostalgia is one thing, Meat, but life is not always as sweet as we can make it seem in our memories. I always wanted a man who was more of an intellectual than Suguru."

"You did?" Meat asked, smiling to himself.

Kiki rolled her eyes, walking on alone. As she walked down the aisle to their front row seats, the rows of fans either side of her were waving signs for their favourite wrestler. Some fans were waving giant red foam hands. Some fans had stuck red, pink and yellow feathers in their hair. Most fans were waving around their copy of the latest book to be released by the McMadds.

Kiki stopped at her seat, placing the tray of food and drinks onto Roxanne and Trixie's seats. She turned around to look out over the audience, smiling in vague amusement as she saw that pretty much every member of the audience had a copy of the new book.

"I'll get it at the semis," Kiki told herself aloud as she turned back to the ring. "I have to buy another programme then anyway, I might get another discount if I wait."

"Kiki," Dik Dik greeted her, walking up to the seat next to hers.

"Hi Dik Dik," Kiki sighed, sitting into her seat.

"Did you…" Dik Dik began slowly. "Did you, um, get a copy of the new _The Reason_ book?"

"No," Kiki replied. "I'm waiting until the semis."

"Oh," Dik Dik said, nodding his head. "I thought that maybe you would have wanted to see what he had to say for himself."

"Who, Mars?"

Dik Dik abruptly met Kiki's eyes, suddenly looking alarmingly like the proverbial deer in the headlights. Kiki's face was blank and she was totally emotionless as she stared back at him.

"Well, yes," he said slowly.

"Nah, I'll get it at the Kevin Mask versus Turbinski match next week," Kiki said, smiling slightly.

"Well I suppose if you really wanted to know what he has to say about the last three years, you could just ask him yourself," Dik Dik added.

"Who, Kevin Mask?" Kiki asked, frowning at Dik Dik.

"No, not Kevin Mask," Dik Dik hurriedly replied. "I was talking about Mars."

"Mars?" Kiki echoed. "What does Mars have to do with anything?"

"Well, you know he…"

Dik Dik slowly stopped talking, searching Kiki's eyes in confusion.

"Mars is dead, remember?" Kiki said softly. "Checkmate saw him being murdered at the hands of the DMP."

"Yes, I know that," Dik Dik said quietly. "But you just said that… Did you just come from in there?" Dik Dik pointed over his shoulder at the interior section of the arena. "Did you pass the gift shop at all today?"

"Yes."

"You did."

"Yes."

"And you saw the new_The Reason_ book?"

"The book about Mystery Warrior Red Number Six who's fighting for redemption, yes."

"Yes."

"The guy who kinda looks like Mars."

Dik Dik blinked vacantly at Kiki, looking like a deer that had just come out of the headlights unscathed, and was still reeling in a state of confused shock.

"He has big bird boots like Mars's," Kiki added, pointing at her feet.

Dik Dik moved his eyes to look over Kiki's shoulder as Trixie and Terry approached Kiki from behind. They were smiling and talking between themselves, but as Trixie spotted Dik Dik watching her, her smile faded and she fell silent, her eyes fixed on the gazelle in an intense glare.

"Dik Dik…" she said slowly, placing her hands on Kiki's shoulders.

Kiki twisted her neck around to look up and behind herself at Trixie, who was still staring intently at Dik Dik.

"You didn't tell her?" Dik Dik whispered to Trixie.

Kiki turned back to Dik Dik, frowning at him curiously.

"I thought you told her," Trixie whispered. "You said you were gonna tell her the truth."

Kiki looked up at Trixie again, her frown deepening.

"That was something else I had to tell her about," Dik Dik muttered.

Kiki turned back to Dik Dik expectantly.

"Hey, you guys!" Roxanne said cheerfully, slipping past Terry to join Trixie.

"Roxanne!" Trixie blurted, turning to face her. "Where's Kid Muscle?"

"He's right over there," Roxanne replied, pointing over her shoulder. "Why, what's up?"

"Nothing!" Trixie dismissed, forcing a smile.

"Are we gonna sit down?" Kiki asked her friends.

"Sure!" Trixie said brightly, grabbing up the tray of food Kiki had placed over their seats.

Kiki slowly sat down, and Trixie and Roxanne swapped places, allowing Roxanne to sit in the middle of the three girls. Trixie watched Kid Muscle approach until he was almost level with them before sitting down into her own seat between Terry and Roxanne, and distributing the contents of the tray to her friends.

"Have any of you guys seen Jaeger?" Kid asked them.

The others shook their heads or replied no.

"Oh," Kid said slowly. "Only the last time I saw him, he was on his way backstage. You don't think anything might have happened to him, do you?"

Trixie and Dik Dik turned towards Kid then, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Why would anything bad happen if he was goin' backstage, Kid?" Terry asked as he caught the look on Trixie's face.

"Well, he was going to wish his old friend good luck in his match today," Kid explained.

"Jaeger knows too?" Trixie blurted.

"Jaeger knows what?" Roxanne asked, turning towards Trixie.

Trixie shuffled round in her seat to face Roxanne, forcing an innocent smile.

"Oh, nothing!" she said lightly. "Say Kiki, did you buy that new _The Reason _book from the gift shop today?" she asked Kiki.

"No, I didn't see the point," Kiki replied.

"Thou couldst borrow my copy, Kiki," Checkmate offered as he took the seat next to Dik Dik.

"Oh I don't think there's any need for that!" Dik Dik said, hurriedly snatching the book from Checkmate's hand.

"Well even if Kiki doesn't want it, I'd quite like to read it," Roxanne said. "I want to know just who this "Six" guy really is. I heard he's a former member of the DMP, and that he has to win the Chojin Crown to redeem himself for all his former sins as a Devil Chojin and to get himself a place in the Muscle League."

"Really?" Terry asked. "Gosh, I wonder what ol' Vance McMadd was thinkin' lettin' a member of the DMP into the Chojin Crown in the first place?"

"It was Ikeman McMadd's idea," Kevin Mask explained as he sat into the seat next to Checkmate. "And as usual, it was done to up the ratings for the IWF."

Lord Flash took the seat next to Kevin's, sitting at the very end of the row by the aisle. At the opposite end of the row, Wally sat into the seat next to Kid, leaving only one free seat in the front row.

"Hey you guys, can you believe how many Legends are here today?" Wally asked the others.

"What are you talking about, Wally?" Kid asked him.

"Well, look!" Wally replied, pointing in front of them. "Eleven seats for eleven special guests!"

The others turned their attention for the first time to the odd seating arrangement before them. Although they were sitting in the front row of the audience, the steel railings in front of them were set much further back from the ring than they usually were, with a note warning them not to approach the railings during the match due to the dangerous nature of the Electrolix that stood in the centre of the ring in front of them. However, in front of the steel railings, another line of railing had been erected, and eleven more luxury seats had been placed between the two sets of railings.

"Ja, ze McMadds are sitting vith ze Legends for zhis match!" Jaeger explained as he sat into the last remaining front row seat, by Wally.

"Legends?" Kid asked, leaning past Wally to look at Jaeger.

Jaeger hesitated, watching Kid blankly for a moment.

"Ja," he said slowly. "Our fazhers, ze McMadds and our trainers from ze Hercules Factory."

"Our fathers?" Terry echoed, grabbing Kid back and leaning forward to look down the row at Jaeger.

"Not your fazher, Terry," Jaeger assured him. "Just mein fazher and King Muscle."

"King Muscle?" Trixie repeated quietly, turning towards Roxanne.

"What?" Roxanne asked, as she realised Trixie was staring at her with wide, fearful eyes.

"Roxanne, those seats in front of us are for–"

"Hi, girls!"

Trixie stopped abruptly, her face paling as Marie past them, grinning and waving at them. Trixie and Roxanne watched as Broken Junior sat into the seat directly in front of Jaeger, Marie sat down next to him, and Meat hurriedly took the seat next to Marie's, smiling up at her.

"Hey, Kid!" Meat said, looking over his shoulder at Kid, who sat directly behind him.

"Hey Meat, how come you get to sit in the special seats and I don't?" Kid moaned.

"Still whining, Kid Muscle?" Ramenman asked as he sat into the seat next to Meat.

"Ramenman!" Terry blurted. "Buffaloman?" he yelped, as a large shadow fell over them.

Buffaloman nodded his head at Terry, sitting down next to Ramenman.

"Oh great!" Trixie grumbled. "Why did the big guy with the giant horns on his head have to sit in front of me? How am I meant to see the match now?"

"Just tell him to move!" Roxanne said, standing up from her seat and approaching the railings. "Hoi you! Down in front, my friend can't see past your big buffalo head!" she yelled at Buffaloman.

"Mind you manners, young lady!"

Roxanne turned towards the source of the admonishing voice, her jaw dropping as she saw an irate Belinda Muscle approaching, followed closely by her husband.

"Sit yourself back down," Belinda added, stopping at the seat directly in front of Roxanne's.

Roxanne slowly backed up to her seat, dropping back into it silently, her mouth still hanging open in shock. Belinda glowered at her one last time before turning her back to Roxanne and sitting down. Roxanne turned to look up at King Muscle, who looked as though he was displeased in general, and her interruption had done little to appease him. He turned his back to the girls, and sat into the seat in front of Kiki's.

"Well, this is certainly getting very interesting," Dik Dik muttered to himself.

"Very entertaining, you mean," Kevin Mask muttered.

Dik Dik scowled at the masked Chojin, who, even though his face was fully covered, appeared to be smirking in delight at the whole twisted affair.

"Gentlemen, ladies," Vance McMadd greeted the group, walking down the row.

"Mister McMadd," Dik Dik greeted him.

"Dik Dik," Vance replied, sitting down into the seat in front of the gazelle.

"I still think this Electrolix thing is a stupid idea," Ikeman McMadd said haughtily, sitting down next to his father.

"Oh, stop your whining already!" Jacqueline growled, stopping at the seat next to Ikeman's.

Jacqueline started to sit down, but then paused, turning to look at the man sitting directly behind her.

"Hi, Kevin," she greeted him, winking at him.

"Oh God, no!" Kevin grumbled.

"Serves you right," Dik Dik muttered.

"I heard that, Bambi!" Kevin snapped.

"The Bambi thing is getting real old, real fast, you know!" Dik Dik said.

"But Dik Dik, we hath not told Kevin about your Bambi DVD," Checkmate pointed out.

"You haven't?" Dik Dik echoed. "But then why… Never mind."

"Bambi DVD?" Kevin asked.

"Yes," Checkmate began. "Dik Dik rented the Disney film Bambi–"

"Shut-up!" Dik Dik yelled, silencing Checkmate. "Just leave it!"

"These stupid wrestlers who let emotions rule their lives," Kevin said with a sigh. "Oh Lord Flash, when will they learn that there is no place for emotion when you are a Chojin warrior? Love, jealousy, revenge… All just a waste of effort."

Dik Dik turned to Kevin to begin a counter argument, but the sight of the final guest approaching brought a grin of delight to his face, and he soon forgot his words of anger.

"What about honour, Kevin?" he asked snidely.

"Honour is not an emotion," Kevin plainly replied.

"But you said that revenge was?"

"Well of course it is."

"And you're not fighting for revenge on your father, at all?"

"Leave my father out of this, Bambi."

"No can do, Kev."

Kevin's eyes narrowed in what must have been a frown as he watched Dik Dik smirk and point at something. Kevin turned in the direction that Dik Dik was pointing, his entire body tensing as he saw Robin Mask take the final seat, sitting next to Jacqueline McMadd and directly in front of Lord Flash.

Dik Dik sat back, smiling proudly to himself. He was feeling quite confident and smug.

"Well, I think it's about time we got this party started," Jacqueline said, standing up.

Jacqueline walked over to the steel railings, preparing to climb over them towards the ring. Robin Mask stood up and joined her by the railing.

"Would you like a hand there, Mish McMadd?" he offered.

"Why thank you, Sir Robin," she said with a smile.

Robin lifted Jacqueline over the railings, nodding his head at her before returning to his seat. Kevin snorted in disgust as his father sat back down, causing Robin to turn in his seat. The two Masks locked eyes, staring at each other in tense silence.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the final match of the second round of the Jacqueline Chojin Crown!" Jacqueline announced.

Robin turned back to face the ring, leaving his son to believe that he had achieved some sort of small victory by managing to out-stare the Legend.

"It's the Ikeman Chojin Crown!" Ikeman wailed. "Are you going to just let her get away with that?" he asked his father.

"Leave her be, son," Vance said, waving a hand dismissively at his son. "Our ratings go up every time she steps through those ropes, you know that. Let's not argue that point now."

"But it's not fair!" Ikeman grumbled, folding his arms in a huff.

Ricardo, who had been on his way down to the ring, stepped up through the ropes, watching Jacqueline patiently as she continued her performance.

"He's the hunk from Brazil, he's the man who can, he defeated the awesome Slyscraper in round one, he is Ricardo!" Jacqueline said proudly.

Ricardo raised his arms in the air, basking in the moderate response he got from the crowd. Ricardo frowned slightly, wondering why the audience were not as behind him as they had been before. Even the cheer he had gotten at the pathetically small arena for his first round match had been louder than this one.

Suddenly the audience erupted into a deafening roar, and Ricardo began to smile again, raising his arms into the air again.

"Oh give it a rest, they're not cheering for you!" Jacqueline snapped, grabbing one of his arms and pulling it back down.

"They're not?" Ricardo echoed.

"No, they're cheering for your opponent!" Jacqueline sneered, pointing past him at the cloaked figure of Mystery Warrior Red Number Six walking towards the ring.

Kevin Mask stood abruptly, watching over the heads of the audience around him as Mystery Warrior Red Number Six sauntered up the aisle. He was still dressed in his gargantuan red robe that hid his appearance entirely, and he was still wearing his large, circular badge at his throat that read "6".

Checkmate stood at Kevin's side, frowning at him questioningly.

"Ask Bambi," Kevin suggested.

Checkmate turned to Dik Dik, who quickly stood up and whispered something to him.

"But…" Checkmate began, glancing between Mystery Warrior Red Number Six and Dik Dik. "That cannot be!"

"So this Six guy is from the DMP?" Kiki asked, standing up at Dik Dik's side.

"What sort of name is Six?" Roxanne asked, standing.

"It's no sort of name," Trixie solemnly replied as she stood up. "It's a pun, look!"

Trixie pointed at the badge by Six's throat. On either side of the giant number 6 it displayed, he had drawn on a further 6, so that the badge read "666".

"666?" Terry yelped, leaping to his feet. "That there's the number of the Devil!"

"Yeah, but he is a Devil Chojin!" Kid pointed out, pushing himself up at Terry's side.

"I guess so," Wally agreed, standing himself. "That's the other name for a member of the DMP, right? A Devil Chojin."

"A Devil Chojin," Jaeger repeated, standing. "Looking for redemption."

The others turned to Jaeger, mulling over his last remark. Meanwhile, the Devil Chojin in question climbed into the ring, and Jacqueline lifted the microphone to her face to reel off another lengthy announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, behold, Ricardo's opponent!" she began.

Behind her, the robed Chojin stopped walking and began to push up the sleeves of his robe, revealing his hands and wrists.

"A former member of the DMP, an invincible warrior with a heart of pure evil!" she continued, oblivious to what was happening behind her back. "You've read the book, now meet the man behind the story. He's fighting for more than just the Chojin Crown championship."

Behind Jacqueline, Mystery Warrior Red Number Six grabbed at his robe and tore it in half to reveal his true identity, flinging the remains of the disguise out to either side of the ring. There was a brief silence in the arena, bringing a smile to Jacqueline's face, as she believed her dramatic pause had truly captivated the minds of her fans.

"He's fighting for…"

The rest of Jacqueline's words were drowned out as the audience exploded in a thunderous cheer again. Jacqueline spun around, her face contorting in shock as she found her mystery man had already revealed his true identity, and was looking rather pleased with himself for having done so before she had managed to finish her well-rehearsed introduction for him.

"You were meant to wait for your cue!" she roared, inadvertently talking into the microphone.

He smirked down at her, grabbing the microphone from her hand.

"Oh yeah?" he yelled into the microphone. "Well da way I see it, everybody here's sick of listenin' to you yappin' on and on and on. Just get dis match started, already!"

Jacqueline screamed in shock as he threw the microphone to one side, and it clanged loudly off the ring bell.

"You…" she began, curling her lip at him in disgust.

"Best move before you get yourself hurt, sweetheart," he advised.

Jacqueline screamed in frustration, stomping over to the ring ropes. She leapt out of the ring and clambered back over the steel railings. Robin Mask made to help her, but she slapped his hands away.

"Can you believe the nerve of that guy?" she yelled at her father and brother. "How dare he do that to me! Whose stupid idea was it to let that idiot into this tournament in the first place?"

Ikeman sniggered to himself, but he was quickly silenced by a sharp slap to the back of his head from his younger sister. Jacqueline made to sit down, but then caught sight of the row of eleven figures behind her. She slowly studied them all in turn, her attention eventually landing back on Roxanne, who had turned pale.

"I don't believe this!" Roxanne squeaked. "Did you know about this?" she asked Trixie.

Trixie quietly nodded her head.

"Heck, I never knew he was Mystery Warrior Red Number Six!" Terry defended himself.

"You didn't?" Kid asked.

"You did?" Roxanne asked Kid. "What, did everybody know?"

Jaeger and Wally nodded their heads to confirm that they had known Mystery Warrior Red Number Six's identity prior to the removal of his disguise. Roxanne turned to Kevin and Lord Flash, who were calmly sitting back down with the distinct air of prior knowledge of the McMadds' little surprise.

"Dik Dik told me not five minutes ago," Checkmate explained as Roxanne shifted her attention to him.

"Dik Dik?" Roxanne said, turning to Dik Dik.

"I've known since…" Dik Dik began. "Well, let's just say that I've known for quite some time now."

"Man, I'm always the last to know everything around here!" Roxanne yelled in frustration. "What about you, Kiki? How long have you known about all of this?"

Kiki was staring dumbly at the ring, clutching her soda in one hand and her weathered plastic bag containing the first instalment of the Ikeman Chojin Crown programme in the other. Roxanne glanced up at the ring again, watching as the two Chojins stalked each other around the Electrolix.

"Kiki?" Roxanne pressed. "Did you know who Mystery Warrior Red Number Six was?"

Kiki remained perfectly still and silent, and Roxanne began to wonder if her friend was even still breathing.

"Kiki, did you even know he was still alive?" Roxanne asked softly.

The plastic carrier bag slid through Kiki's fingers and fell to the ground with a sharp slap. A moment later, Kiki's soda followed it, exploding at her feet.

"Mystery Warrior Red Number Sixis…" Kiki said slowly.

Dik Dik and Roxanne watched her carefully, frowning in concern as she began to sway on the spot.

"And you all said I was crazy!" Kiki yelled, before throwing her head back and bursting into a disturbing fit of hysterical laughter.

"Man, poor Kiki!" Roxanne sighed. "I kept telling her to shut-up about it, and all this time she was just trying to tell us that Mystery Warrior Red Number Six is Mars."

* * *

**Next Chapter:** It's Ricardo vs. Mars in a match with the Electrolix to decide who will advance to the semi-finals to face Kid Muscle. But Ikeman has a special announcement to make concerning Mars's future in the tournament, King Muscle makes a promise and Robin Mask has something to say to his wayward son. **Chapter 22 – The Clause**. 


	23. The Clause

**A/N:** Mars is simply the best character in UM. Period. You all didn't HONESTLY think I would kill him off, did you?!

Harlequinny: Azerbaijan is a small country on the Caspian Sea that borders onto Turkey, Russia and Iran, and I was only there for all of like 6 hours. The other 20 was taken up being airborne, as it takes 4 flights to get there and back from Scotland.

**Recap:** The final mysterious Chojin revealed himself to be none other than Mars, the former Devil Chojin of the DMP, who is fighting for redemption.

* * *

**  
Chapter 22 – The Clause**

"You told us Mars was dead, Checkmate!" Roxanne said, turning to Checkmate for an explanation.

"I thought he was!" Checkmate defended himself.

"You thought he was?" Roxanne repeated. "Look, either he was or he wasn't! Didn't it even occur to you to check before you went around telling everyone that he was dead?"

"Mars was under attack from the Anarchists! He was as good as dead!" Checkmate argued.

"He was what?" Kevin echoed, grabbing Checkmate's arm.

"He was under attack from the Anarchists," Checkmate confirmed.

"That's what I thought you said," Kevin grumbled. "I see not all the DMP have been destroyed or disbanded then…"

"Who are the Anarchists?" Dik Dik asked.

"Never mind that now!" Roxanne shouted. "What about Mars?"

"Well obviously he's still alive, isn't he?" Kevin drawled sarcastically.

"But how?" Roxanne continued. "Checkmate said he had been stabbed repeatedly in the head!"

Roxanne began thrusting a fist up and down through the air, acting out the process of stabbing something repeatedly.

"They weren't stabbing him," Kevin said with a sigh. "They were cutting off his hair. It will have been the first thing they did when he confronted them with his decision."

"His decision?" Roxanne asked.

"He returned to the DMP headquarters to denounce his membership," Dik Dik replied. "Then he returned to the Hercules Factory and asked to be retrained."

"Retrained?" Roxanne repeated.

"Although he learned how to fight like a Justice Chojin, he never learned how to think or act like one. He's spent the last three years training with Buffaloman at the Hercules Factory."

Roxanne turned to watch the back of Buffaloman's head for a moment before shifting her attention to the ring. As she watched, Ricardo charged at Mars, who caught him with a knee to the gut, grabbing him into headlock.

"But I thought his mask was destroyed…" she said vaguely.

"I guess he got another one," Dik Dik said, shrugging his shoulders.

Ricardo swung an elbow back into Mars's gut, ducking out of his hold.

"I just can't believe this," Roxanne said faintly.

"Well you'd better start believing it, girl!" Kevin snapped irritably. "Old scarface is a favourite to win the Chojin Crown. Here, take a look for yourself!"

Kevin grabbed the latest _The Reason_ book from Dik Dik, throwing it at Roxanne. She caught it, blinking curiously at Kevin.

"Read it," he advised.

Roxanne looked down at the book in her hands, turning it over to look at the front cover. Just like the other books, it was black with white writing, and a picture of its main character beneath the writing.

""Mars – The Reason"," she read aloud.

Roxanne turned the book over, skimming through the blurb on the back cover. She then flicked through the pages of text and pictures, yelping and backtracking as something caught her eye. Turning back to the correct page, Roxanne found a page of text and a page filled with a colour image of just two people. One was Mars, the other was Kiki.

Roxanne lifted her eyes from the book to Kiki, in time to see her friend fall back into her seat with a thud. There were streaks of tears down Kiki's cheeks, and Roxanne could not be sure if they were the result of the fit of hysterical laughter Kiki had just recovered from, or if they were an expression of her feelings towards seeing Mars for the first time after so many years of believing he had been brutally murdered.

"Kiki?" Roxanne said gently, sitting down next to her. "Are you alright?"

"Give me the book," Kiki monotonously replied, loosely reaching a hand towards the book Roxanne was still holding on to.

"Sure, here you go," Roxanne said, pushing the book into Kiki's hand.

Kiki gripped onto the paperback novel, pulling it round in front of her face. She at last moved her eyes from the ring, looking first at the front cover of the book, then at the back, and then finally skimming through the intermittent pages. Just like Roxanne had done, Kiki stopped at the picture of herself and Mars.

"That was at his match against Kid, wasn't it?" Roxanne asked.

Kiki quietly nodded her head. She could remember that moment as clearly as though it had happened only the day before. She had no recollection of anyone photographing that particular moment she had shared with Mars, but there had been so many cameras flashing away amongst the throngs of fans seated all around them, the flash of an official IWF photographer could easily have escaped her notice. Her attention had been so consumed with her concern for Mars that day, Kiki could have been convinced that the arena had been bombed without her noticing.

She was wearing her green dress in the photograph, the one she had bought especially for Mars. It was the moment when she had met him on his way towards the ring, and he had stretched up to the stands towards her. The photographer must have been studying them and waiting for just the right moment to take his picture, as he had caught the exact moment that Kiki touched the tip of her finger to the tip of Mars's nose. The picture looked so very poetic, and the moment seemed even more precious than Kiki herself remembered it to have been. Mars was smiling tenderly yet confidently at her, and the frown of concern on Kiki's face spoke volumes about her deepest feelings for the former DMP member.

Kiki looked up from the book, watching Mars as he threw Ricardo at the ropes. On his chest, Mars still bore the bird emblem, the one that had once acted as a cover for his underlying DMP logo. Kiki briefly wondered what, if anything, lay beneath the emblem; but this time at least, Mars was fighting for a good cause, and with everything at stake.

Inside the ring, Ricardo was taunting Mars about the book the McMadds had released about him, mocking Mars for being a sell-out. Mars, in a fit of his famously short temper, flew at Ricardo, throwing a flurry of punches at the Brazilian. Ricardo blocked every one with ease, laughing at Mars confidently. Mars continued his attack for a moment longer before swinging a roundhouse kick at Ricardo's head, shattering part of his helmet in the process. The force of the kick sent Ricardo reeling towards the Electrolix, but before he reached it, Ricardo quickly stumbled to a halt, stopping just short of the vicious cross mounted in the centre of the ring.

Mars charged towards Ricardo's back, causing the audience to gasp in anticipation of what would happen next; but Ricardo turned around to face Mars, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him towards the Electrolix. Mars dug his heels into the mat, halting his progress. Ricardo had a firm hold of Mars's left arm with both hands, and there seemed to be no way for Mars to wrestle himself out the hold. Mars grabbed onto one of Ricardo's arms with his free right hand, gripping into Ricardo's wrist in an attempt to crush his bones.

Mars grinned as he heard a cracking sound beneath his ever-tightening grip; but Ricardo began to grin too.

"What are you smilin' for?" Mars asked him.

Ricardo did not answer Mars, only adding to his frustration. Mars tightened his grip suddenly and with added force, cracking through Ricardo's arm. Mars froze as he saw three small black dots push through the skin on the back of his hand, blood bursting from the wounds.

Mars yelled out in a delayed reaction to the pain and the shock of what had happened, pulling his hand back. Ricardo's arm came with his hand, and for a moment, Mars began to panic that he had somehow managed to permanently attach his hand to the bizarre spiked bracelet Ricardo was wearing around his wrist.

Ricardo yanked downwards with his shattered arm, releasing Mars with his other hand. Mars yelled out again as the teeth of Ricardo's bracelet were drawn sharply out of his skin. He staggered back from Ricardo, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at what he saw.

"What da hell's goin' on wid you, you freak?" he shouted at Ricardo. "Are you hidin' somethin'?"

"And I suppose you, Mars, have never hidden your true identity?" Ricardo darkly replied.

"Ah, quit your yappin', freak!" Mars snapped, before charging towards his opponent.

Mars speared Ricardo to the mat, the force of the impact shattering yet more of Ricardo's disguise. Mars punched at Ricardo's body until most of his disguise was broken or destroyed, then jumped to his feet, grabbing Ricardo up by his throat and one leg. The audience gasped as Mars lifted Ricardo up above his head, and then flung him in the direction of the Electrolix.

Mars was grinning as he watched Ricardo fly towards the electrically charged weapon, but his smile faded as he saw the remains of Ricardo's helmet shatter loose, and a giant pair of fangs appear. Ricardo caught the top corner of the X-shaped Electrolix between his impressive set of fangs, swinging his body up and over the obstacle. Ricardo dropped to the other side, landing, unscathed, on his feet.

"Damn," Mars grumbled, squatting down to watch Ricardo's legs through the lower triangular gap of the Electrolix.

Ricardo shed the remains of his disguise, causing Mars to recoil in disgust. Ricardo crept around the side of the Electrolix, laughing at Mars's sickened expression.

"What, you think I'm scared of some red-eyed, fang-faced bug?" Mars snapped, straightening indignantly. "See if you find dis little move so funny, freak!"

Mars leapt up into the air, shouting out two words the audience were only too familiar with.

"Swallow Tail!"

Mars spun around, slashing at Ricardo's chest with his two-pronged attack. Ricardo staggered back, clutching at the bloody wound he was left with across his chest. Mars grabbed out with both hands at Ricardo, but Ricardo dropped to the mat, sliding out of the ring below the bottom rope. Mars frowned in confusion, cautiously creeping up to the ropes. He had been caught out by a similar move one too many times to risk letting his feet get too close to the edge; but closer inspection revealed that Ricardo was creeping around the outside of the ring.

"Hey, get back in here and fight me, freak!" Mars yelled, climbing up the cornerpost and scowling down at Ricardo.

Ricardo grinned up at Mars, but continued to crawl around the outside of the ring. Mars muttered curses under his breath, following Ricardo's progress by walking along the top rope with a level of grace and balance that defied his size. Mars hesitated as he climbed onto the next cornerpost, as Ricardo appeared to have stopped.

Mars was slightly wary of his opponent's behaviour; a Chojin powerful and experienced enough to make it to the quarter finals of the Chojin Crown tournament should not have been so blind or so stupid as to leave himself to wide-open to an attack. When Ricardo continued to remain motionless, Mars launched himself into the air, setting up for his Swallow Tail attack again.

As Mars fell towards Ricardo, Ricardo suddenly shifted his weight onto his hands, and kicked his legs out behind him, both heels colliding sharply with Mars's gut as he fell, knocking the air out of Mars's lungs. With a choked gasp, Mars fell to the ground behind Ricardo, grabbing at the steel railings to pull himself up before he had even managed to draw a much needed breath of air.

"Fool!" Ricardo hissed, standing up at Mars's side. "Look at all your pathetic friends!"

Mars tightened his grip on the railings, his knuckles turning white. He slowly lifted his head, finding himself face-to-face with Jacqueline McMadd, who was sitting forwards, her chin resting on her upturned palms.

"I want a bloody fight, Marsy Baby," she cooed. "Don't disappoint me."

Mars growled at her, standing up further to look beyond her. Behind the row of seats Jacqueline and the Legends sat in was the second set of railings and then the front row of the main audience. In the seat directly behind Jacqueline's, beyond the second set of railings, was a person Mars was more than familiar with. The very sight of him made Mars smirk to himself.

"Mask!" he said cheerfully, raising his middle finger at his former DMP team-mate. "Watch dis real close, Mask, cause I think you're gonna like it!"

Mars, who was still holding up his middle finger at Kevin Mask, uncurled his index finger, spun his hand around and then lashed out to his side stabbing the tips of both fingers into Ricardo's eyes with a sickening squelch. Ricardo screamed in agony, staggering back and clasping both hands over his eyes. Mars turned back to Kevin, grinning widely enough to show his fangs, and saluted his old friend with two middle fingers.

"That man is such an arsehole," Kevin grumbled.

"Mars was not to taught to fight with such dirty tactics at the Hercules Factory!" Ramenman said, shaking his head.

"He sure seems to be enjoying himself," Trixie remarked, watching as Mars threw Ricardo back into the ring, rolling him under the bottom rope.

"It's called showboating," Kevin sneered. "And he's an expert at it."

Trixie smiled at Kevin playfully, but he ignored her, watching the action inside the ring with narrowed eyes.

Inside the ring, Mars dragged Ricardo up and dropped him back with a German Suplex. Mars got to his feet again, flashing a grin at Kevin before grabbing Ricardo up to his feet again.

"What about the girl?" Ricardo hurriedly said.

Mars paused, searching Ricardo's eyes in confusion.

"The girl," Ricardo said again, pointing towards the section Kevin was sat in.

Mars turned his head, first looking at Kevin, and then slowly scanning his way along the row of faces. Next to Kevin was Checkmate, another former Devil Chojin Mars had known in his days with the DMP. Next to Checkmate was Dik Dik Van Dik, the sight of whom brought another smirk to Mars's face. And sat next to Dik Dik was a small young woman with long green hair, watching him with eyes the size of saucers.

"Kiki?" Mars whispered, starting towards the ropes for a closer look.

"Fool!" Ricardo yelled, grabbing Mars's arm and hurling him back towards the centre of the ring.

Mars flew back through the air, his journey brought to an abrupt halt as his back collided with the centre of the electrified X. As the Electrolix hissed and crackled around him, Mars screamed out in agony, and the audience gasped in shock.

"Fry that bird!" Jacqueline cheered, leaping up from her seat and punching a fist into the air.

For the first time since the start of the match, the shocked and bewildered expression faded from Kiki's face, only to be replaced by one of anger and disgust as she watched Jacqueline jump up and down with delight.

Inside the ring, things were looking bad for Mars. When he had hit the Electrolix, he had inadvertently flung out his arms and legs, and as a result, every part of his body, from the top of his head to the heels of his feet to the backs of his hands, was pinned against the electrically charged X, with no foreseeable means of escape. The force of the current pulsing through the Electrolix was holding Mars to it like a powerful adhesive.

"This is awful!" Roxanne wailed. "What sadistic freak decided that this was a good idea for a match?"

Trixie dumbly aimed a pointed finger at Jacqueline, who was still on her feet, her hands clasped at her chest, her mouth hanging open in a huge grin of delight.

"Of course, I should have known…" Roxanne grumbled, scowling at Jacqueline.

Inside the ring, Mars had gone quiet, and looked as though he was slipping out of consciousness.

"This is so unfair!" Kiki wailed, jumping up and grabbing on to the railings behind King Muscle. "This was a conspiracy!"

"Calm down, girl," Kevin muttered.

Kiki kept her hold of the railings, but turned her head to look over her shoulder questioningly at Kevin Mask.

"Surely even you know that Mars is not so easily defeated," Kevin reminded her.

Kiki turned back to the ring, frowning in concern as she watched Ricardo back up to one side of the ring, then aim a flying drop-kick at Mars's side. Ricardo's feet struck Mars's ribcage, dislodging him from the Electrolix and send him crashing to the mat.

"Aw, no fair!" Jacqueline moaned, thumping back down into her seat and folding her arms in a huff.

"Bitch," Roxanne muttered.

Ricardo walked over to Mars's motionless form, prodding at his opponent experimentally with his toes. When Mars failed to react, Ricardo glanced around the audience, as though he half-expected someone to jump up from the stands and announce his victory. In his momentary state of confused distraction, Ricardo failed to notice his opponent was stirring at his feet.

In one swift and fluid movement, Mars grabbed one of Ricardo's ankles and pulled it out from under him, swinging his other fist into Ricardo's kneecap as he fell backwards, forcing his knee to bend in a direction it was not intended to bend. Ricardo cried out in pain as his knee cracked beneath the force of the attack, his cry quietening as the sheer force of his landing drove all of the air out of his lungs.

Kiki sighed with relief, backing up to her seat once more.

"If it's any consolation, I have no doubt whatsoever that the arrogant arsehole will win this match," Kevin told her as she sat back down.

"Really?" Kiki asked, turning towards Kevin, her eyes wide with optimism.

"Unfortunately, yes," Kevin replied.

"Hey, if Mars wins this, that means the next Red Card match is the rematch between Kid and Mars," Trixie pointed out.

"What?" Kid yelped, grabbing at Terry in fear as he watched Trixie.

"You're not scared of Mars are you Kid Muscle?" Trixie asked, turning to face Kid. "You beat him the last time you fought him!"

"But he's been training with Buffaloman for the last three years!" Kid whimpered, eying Buffaloman fearfully.

"And you've won the Ultimate Muscle Challenge and you defeated the Poison Six Pack," Trixie calmly replied. "And you have to beat Mars again if you want to make it to the finals."

"Yeah, and if you make it to the finals, you'll be fightin' either Comrade Turbinski or Kevin Mask!" Terry cheerfully reminded his friend.

Kid screamed in fear again, only stopping when Meat stepped up onto his seat, stretched over the steel railings and began smacking Kid about the head with a copy of _Kid Muscle – The Reason_.

Inside the ring, Ricardo had managed to lock Mars into a sleeper hold, and he was trying to drag Mars towards the Electrolix again. Mars was struggling to free himself, pushing his heels into the ground in an attempt to stop himself from staggering any further back. Ricardo dragged Mars back relentlessly, stopping when his own back was mere inches from the buzzing and hissing Electrolix. He then slowly shuffled around, turning so that Mars was facing the glowing menace.

Mars hissed as a spark leapt from the Electrolix and stung into his cheek just below one eye. If hitting the Electrolix with his back had been bad, hitting it face-first would be pure hell on Earth. Mars gritted his teeth in determination, lifting his hands to Ricardo's striped arms. Gripping his fingers into Ricardo's slimy flesh, Mars leaned back and then jerked himself forwards, tugging Ricardo's arms up over his head.

Mars leapt back in the instant before either his own head or Ricardo made contact with the Electrolix, heaving in laboured breaths as he watched Ricardo flip through the air and splat against the Electrolix in the same prone position Mars himself had done earlier. Ricardo was stuck to the electrifying machine by his back, his arms and legs splayed at his sides, only he was upside-down, his feet pointed at the sky overhead.

Mars staggered back further, grabbing a hand at the top rope and leaning back against it as he inspected the puncture wounds on his other hand from Ricardo's spiked bracelet. Muttering another string of unrepeatable curses under his breath, Mars shifted his eyes to his opponent, waiting until the monster stopped screaming before pushing himself off the ropes and approaching the Electrolix.

Mars stopped a short distance in front of the Electrolix, his hands on his hips, looking up at Ricardo with his head tilted to one side.

"I could just let you fry," he shouted up at his opponent. "But I ain't ever been one for doin' things by half. And I don't think you've learnt your lesson yet, freak."

Mars walked over to the cornerpost, scaling up it to the top rope. Again he walked along the top rope, awing the crowd with his striking trapeze skills, before jumping up off the rope and aiming a flying kick at Ricardo's head.

Mars's foot connected with the side of Ricardo's head, dislodging him from his trap. Mars continued to follow through with his kick, landing on one foot on the top rope at the opposite side of the ring. Mars slowly placed his second foot down onto the rope next to his first, basking in the applause of appreciation he received for his display.

"What an arsehole!" Kevin groaned.

"You sound surprised Comrade – I mean, Kevin," Lord Flash said, turning to Kevin.

"I'm not surprised that he's such an arsehole," Kevin replied. "I'm just surprised that he's still showing off when there's so much at stake. The Chojin Crown championship is the single most important thing in a Chojin's career, the truest symbol that he has reached the pinnacle of his profession, a badge of honour for every self-respecting–"

"Give it a rest, Kev, you're boring us all to death over here!" Kiki shouted over to Kevin.

Kevin turned towards her, his eyes wide with shock at her outburst.

"Everyday I see more proof of just why that arsehole Mars was so enraptured with you!" he snapped.

"Whatever!" Kiki said dismissively, holding up a hand at Kevin.

"Saucy little mare," Kevin grumbled to himself.

Meanwhile, Mars leapt off the top rope, performing a backflip midair and catching Ricardo as he tried to stand, flattening him back to the canvas. The audience once more applauded Mars's display of flawless gymnastics, to which Mars stood, beckoning at his sides for the fans to cheer even louder still. He cast a sideward glance at Kevin, once more holding up the middle finger of his injured hand at Kevin and cocking a smirk at his former ally.

Kevin grumbled another series of discontent complaints about Mars, only stopping when Lord Flash barked out his name abruptly. Inside the ring, Mars grabbed Ricardo, tugging him up to his feet. With his eyes still on Kevin, Mars failed to notice that Ricardo was less incapacitated than he had predicted, and the Brazilian quickly capitalised on Mars's distraction, biting into Mars's right shoulder.

Mars cried out in pain, punching at Ricardo with his left arm and stomping at him with his left foot.

"Geddof me, freak!" he yelled, pressing the palm of his left hand over the front of Ricardo's face and pushing back.

As Mars pushed Ricardo back, his fangs tore through Mars's skin, creating deep tears through his flesh. Mars quickly withdrew his hand, watching his bloodied shoulder with wide, shocked eyes.

"Damn fang-faced bug," Mars muttered, moving his hand down to Ricardo's throat.

Mars grabbed his fingers around Ricardo's neck, gripping the tips of his fingers into the tight skin around Ricardo's jugular, gradually increasing the pressure until Ricardo began to gag.

"Ah, just give it up already!" Mars snarled, tightening his grip further.

Ricardo choked openly, his jaws opening, his fangs slipping out of Mars's shoulder. Mars kept his hold of Ricardo's throat, and Ricardo began to push Mars back with what little strength he had left. Mars glanced over each of his shoulders, his panic rising with each glance.

"Hey," he began, eying Ricardo nervously. "What you doin', huh?"

Mars loosened his grip enough for Ricardo to form an answer to his question.

"Pushing you into the Electrolix, what does it look like I'm doing?" Ricardo hissed.

"Hey, I ain't lettin' go of you!" Mars warned him. "If I touch dat Electrolix, you're gonna get hurt too!"

"So be it," Ricardo growled, giving one sharp shove to Mars's chest.

Mars tightened his hold on Ricardo again, crying out involuntarily as he was once more pushed into the punishing electrically charged field generated by the Electrolix. But, despite his suffering, Mars held onto Ricardo, the sparks of electricity leaping over to shock his opponent too.

"That was a stupid move," Kevin Mask muttered.

"What?" Kiki asked, turning to him with a look of alarm on her face.

"Well, every time one of them comes in contact with that electrical charge, they become stuck to the Electrolix, yes?" Kevin began.

"Yeah, and?" Kiki urged.

"And before, they have had to rely on their opponent to free them," Kevin continued. "But now they are both stuck to the thing. I suppose they will stay that way until someone switches the stupid thing off."

"Or until they both die," Dik Dik said darkly.

"What?" Kiki wailed.

"That's awful!" Roxanne declared, walking up to the railings. "Hey, Jackie, switch the damn thing off!" she yelled down the row at Jacqueline.

"Sit down and mind your manners, young lady!" Belinda snapped, turning in her chair to scowl at Roxanne. "I've heard just about enough out of you!"

"What, you think it's right to let Mars and Ricardo die up there?" Roxanne argued back.

"How dare you answer me back?" Belinda roared, standing up. "Firstly, you should be showing some respect for your elders, and secondly, I am the queen of Muscle Planet, I will not be spoken to in this manner!"

"Back off, Belinda!" Marie yelled, standing up from her seat.

Belinda turned to Marie, looking shocked at first by her outburst.

"Roxanne is just trying to enjoy the match like everyone else!" Marie added.

"She is a bad-mannered, foul-mouthed, opinionated little flirt, and you should be teaching her to show some respect and to keep that mouth of hers shut!" Belinda shot back.

"My daughter has excellent manners, she always talks sensibly and respectfully to others and she has grown into a wonderful young lady, and I'm damn proud of her! If you want to talk about bad manners, foul mouths and outrageous flirting, take a look at your own son, Belinda!"

Belinda gasped, slapping a hand against her chest.

"Hey, I don't have a foul mouth!" Kid wailed.

"Stay out of this, Mantaro!" Belinda snapped.

"Sorry," Kid mumbled, hanging his head.

"What?" Roxanne yelped, turning to Kid. "Are you gonna just let her boss you around like that? Kid, you're not a kid any more! Stand up to her! Didn't you hear what she just said about me?"

"Ladies, enough!" King Muscle bellowed, standing up.

"I don't know what you ever saw in that woman, Suguru!" Belinda said huffily, sitting back down.

Marie sighed in frustration, sitting back down. King Muscle slowly sat back into his seat, watching Marie for a moment longer. Roxanne backed into her own seat, watching Kid through teary eyes.

"He didn't even try to fight for me," she whispered. "He defended his own name, but not mine…"

Trixie touched a hand to Roxanne's shoulder sympathetically, but Roxanne continued to look beyond Trixie at Kid.

"I don't believe it…" Roxanne said faintly.

Inside the ring, the Electrolix was still hissing and fizzing out intense currents through the bodies of the Chojins held against it. Mars was still tenaciously holding on to Ricardo, despite the fact that Ricardo was clutching Mars's extended arm with both hands and tugging hard in an attempt to free himself. Closing his eyes in concentration, Mars began to lift his other arm, pulling against gravitational pull of the high voltage electrodes behind him. His hand shook hard as he reached towards his head, the sight of which made Ricardo grin.

"What are you smilin' at, freak?" Mars asked hoarsely. "This jokes on you."

Ricardo's smiled dropped as Mars grabbed onto the golden visor at his forehead, pulling it down over his eyes. Mars's red headdress turned the colour of the visor over his eyes, and rose up around him. Mars cried out, arching his back as he pulled out of the hold the Electrolix had him in.

The audience gasped into silence as Mars powered his way off of the vicious Electrolix, maintaining his grip on Ricardo in the process. As Mars walked across the ring, he revealed that his outfit was torn and charred down his back, and the bare sections of his legs were burned from the effects of the prolonged contact with the Electrolix; but as Mars continued his attack on Ricardo, the burns on his skin were visibly fading, thanks to his remarkably rapid healing abilities.

Mars flung Ricardo at the ropes, sticking one arm out and flooring Ricardo with a vicious clothesline on his rebound. Ricardo fell hard to the mat, where he did little more than squirm. Mars leapt into the air, spinning around to perform his signature attack on Ricardo.

"Swallow Tail!" he yelled, his coattails straightening and sharpening at his back.

Several audience members screamed and even turned away as Mars's attack struck, the points of his tail skewering into Ricardo's gut. Mars leapt off of Ricardo again, walking over to the ropes. Turning to Kevin to cast his old ally one last toothy grin and salute him with one last offensive gesture of his middle finger, Mars grabbed the top rope, spinning over the top of it and landing on the floor outside the ring.

Mars kicked back the mats that padded the floor around the outside of the ring, exposing the concrete ground below. Mars stood on the exposed concrete for a moment, watching his opponent carefully. Ricardo was on his knees, grabbing at the ropes in an attempt to stand. A tense silence fell over the arena as Ricardo finally found his footing, swaying on the spot for a moment, before staggering towards the side of the ring Mars was standing at.

Mars quickly leapt into the air, using his sharpened coattails to cut a circle in the concrete and then scoop it out and lift it up into the air. Mars spun around, kicking the giant concrete divot into the ring. Ricardo staggered back in a weak attempt to avoid the attack, only to back into the Electrolix. Seconds later, the chunk of concrete smashed into Ricardo, squashing him against the Electrolix.

Even Jacqueline McMadd gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth, her green eyes wide with shock. The ring bell sounded, and a team of IWF officials raced to the ring to disconnect the power to the Electrolix.

Mars casually lifted up his Mask of Madness, dusting off his clothing as his headdress regained its red colouring and settled around his shoulders once more. He turned to Kevin, grinning enough to expose his fangs before taking an exaggerated bow.

"Jackie?" Ikeman urged, poking at his sister with a microphone.

"Huh?" she echoed, turning to him dumbly.

"You have to tell the fans the words you know you wanted to say at the end of this match," her brother said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh…" Jacqueline said, frowning down at the microphone. "Right…"

Jacqueline took the microphone from her brother, standing from her seat.

"And the winner is," she said, not daring to cross the railings to make her announcement. "Mars!"

The audience began to cheer for the winner, their applause and cries of delight gradually gaining in volume and momentum. Mars raised a fist in the air appreciatively, before walking over to the row of special guests.

"Don't bother getting cocky," Ikeman warned Mars as he reached the railings. "Just remember: you can only stay in the IWF if you win the Chojin Crown."

Mars opened his mouth to reply, but before he got the chance to speak his thoughts, he was interrupted by Vance.

"Just remember you can only join the Muscle League if you win the Chojin Crown," Vance added authoritatively.

"Yeah, yeah!" Mars replied, waving a hand at the McMadds dismissively. " But I ain't intendin' losin', so dat ain't really a problem."

Kiki slowly approached the railing, grasping onto it.

"Mars?" she said, her voice weak and faint, despite her best attempt to control her tone.

"Kiki?" Mars said, turning towards her.

Mars walked along the railings, stopping in front of King Muscle to face Kiki.

"You're alive!" she said, smiling up at him. "I mean, I always knew that you were, but…"

"Kiki, you gotta understand," Mars began. "I had to–"

"And what makes you think you can win the Chojin Crown, birdboy?" King Muscle interrupted him, standing up between Kiki and Mars.

Mars scowled at the king of Muscle Planet for a moment, before switching back to his trademark smirk that spoke volumes of his self-confidence.

"Well dere ain't much standin' in my way now," Mars nonchalantly replied. "Alls I gotta do is beat Kid Loser is da next round, and den alls I gotta do is beat either da Russian flyboy or squealer da daddy's boy over dere."

Mars pointed at Kevin, who stood abruptly, waving a fist at Mars.

"And what makes you think you can beat my son?" King Muscle challenged Mars.

"Uh, well…"

Mars pointed down the row behind King Muscle. The king turned around, his stern expression dissolving into one of shock and disgust as his eyes landed on a disgruntled looking Terry Kenyon, who was balancing Kid Muscle on his knee. Kid had thrown his arms around Terry's neck, and was screaming into the Texan's ear.

"Mantaro!" King Muscle barked.

Kid stopped screaming, opening his eyes to look up at his father.

"Kid, you have to beat this monster, and you have to beat Robin Mask's son, do you understand?" King Muscle demanded.

"But I'm scared!" Kid wailed.

"Kid, if you win the Chojin Crown, you can have anything you want, you understand me?" King Muscle added.

"I can?" Kid asked, slipping off of Terry's lap to stand on his own two feet.

"Yes. You can marry that girl of yours, and, when I retire, the two of you can take over as the new king and queen of Muscle Planet."

"Roxanne? I can marry Roxanne?"

"Yes, son."

Kid turned to Roxanne, who was watching him with wide, shocked eyes.

"Now wait jusht a minute!" Robin Mask said, standing up. "Jusht what makesh you think your boy can beat my boy, Shuguru?"

King Muscle looked first at Kevin Mask, running his eyes over the new generation wrestler, before turning to Kevin's father, and his own former rival.

"I think the time hash come for the Mashk family to rishe to glory onshe again," Robin continued. "And I think my eldesht shon Kevin ish the man to take our name back to the top!"

"Oh really?" King Muscle asked, crossing his arms.

"You always said I wasn't good enough before," Kevin spat at his father.

"You never were," Robin coldly replied. "But if you can win the Chojin Crown, I will admit that I wash wrong about you, Kevin."

"You will admit you were wrong?" Kevin echoed in disbelief.

"And you may have the Mashk Eshtate."

"The Mask Estate?"

"The Mashk Eshtate ish all yoursh if you win the Chojin Crown, Kevin."

Kevin looked down the row at Kid Muscle, who was watching Roxanne forlornly. He slowly panned around to Mars, who had moved to stand in front of Buffaloman, who was commending the former Devil Chojin on his victory.

"Did you get that?" Jacqueline asked.

Kevin spun around, cursing openly as he saw a camera following him.

"So, fight fans," Jacqueline said, turning to the camera. "Who will it be? Will it be Kid Muscle?"

Jacqueline held a hand out towards Kid, and the camera followed her gesture, showing on the giant monitor high in the stadium that Kid had been joined by Roxanne, and they were holding each other's hands, looking at each other silently.

"Will it be a happy ending for the love story?" Jacqueline asked. "Will Kid Muscle win the tournament, and marry his girlfriend Roxanne?"

The camera panned back to Jacqueline.

"Or will it be Mars?" she asked, holding her hand out towards Mars.

The camera panned around to Mars, who twisted his head upwards as it did so, watching himself in the giant monitor.

"Will Mars find redemption for his sins in the DMP?" Jacqueline continued. "Will Mars win the tournament and be inducted into the IWF as a bona fide Muscle Leaguer?"

The camera panned back to Jacqueline again.

"Or will it be Kevin Mask?" she asked, side-stepping to allow the camera a clearer shot of the English Chojin behind her.

Kevin glanced up at the shot of himself and Lord Flash on the giant monitor, before turning back to the camera in stunned silence.

"Will Kevin bring honour to the Mask family name once more?" Jacqueline asked. "Will Kevin win the tournament and win his father's respect as well as that of the entire Muscle League?"

Kid, Mars and Kevin glanced around each other as the camera moved back to show Jacqueline's smiling face. Jacqueline briefly checked her appearance in the monitor overhead, flicking her hair off one shoulder and winking at the camera.

"Our semi finals begin in just three days time," she reminded the viewing public. "Don't forget to tune in, you won't want to miss this one! Tickets for our Red Card match, Kid Muscle versus Mars go on sale tomorrow morning at ten o'clock sharp, and tickets for our Black Card match, Kevin Mask versus Comrade Turbinski go on sale at two o'clock. And don't forget, you can purchase _Kid Muscle – The Reason_, _Kevin Mask – The Reason_ and _Mars – The Reason_ not only from our gift shop, but also from all major bookstores as of tomorrow morning. This is Jacqueline McMadd, reporting to you live from The Jacqueline Chojin Crown."

The monitor overhead switched to a black background, with headshots of Kid Muscle, Kevin Mask and Mars, with the words "Love, Honour and Redemption" above their heads.

"We have to get out of here," Roxanne said faintly, grabbing at Trixie and Kiki.

"But Mars…" Kiki said weakly, reaching out a hand in Mars's direction.

"Oh man, I just cannot believe what just happened!" Trixie said, ushering her friends along the row to the aisle. "Jacqueline McMadd just went on live television and…"

"I know!" Roxanne wailed.

"And she showed the whole world that…" Trixie said breathlessly.

"I can't believe it either," Kiki said, shaking her head.

"That she is still wearing the same God damned outfit!" Trixie finished, shaking her fists in frustration.

Roxanne and Kiki stopped abruptly, watching Trixie march on towards the backstage area ahead of them. Slowly they turned to each other, exchanging nervous grins and sweatdropping.

"Trixie will be Trixie," Roxanne said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Would we want her any other way?" Kiki asked.

The two girls watched Trixie disappear in the arena, before starting after her in silence.

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** What happens when you put Roxanne, Trixie, Kiki, Jaeger, Wally Tusket, Dik Dik Van Dik, Checkmate, Comrade Turbinski, Meat, Marie, Terry Kenyon, Kevin Mask, Lord Flash and Mars together, and then add Kid Muscle? The conversation takes an interesting twist, as one Chojin takes centre stage. **Chapter 23 – Everybody Loves Kid Muscle**. 

**A/N(2):** My chapters REALLY are getting a LOT longer, so much so, it looks like this one will end up being closer to 200,000 words, more than twice my initial expectations. There will still only be a total of 40 chapters, as I am writing this to a storyboard, but each of the remaining chapters will average about 8000 words. Heh, you have been warned!


	24. Everybody Loves Kid Muscle

**A/N:** Sorry folks, this one looks a lot longer than it actually is thanks to the repetitive nature of the narrative of the events that take place.

As an aside, please bear in mind that this fic is a continuation of my A/U Generation Ex fic, _I Want You Bad_, and in my universe, Mars has never fought Jaeger in the ring.

And once again, I'm lifting another titbit from the Manga version, where it states that Meat is bound to serve the Kinniku family above all else, and does not have the freedom to pursue his own interests or get married/start a family of his own.

**Recap:** Mars defeated Ricardo in a gruelling match with the Electrolix to advance to the semi finals, only to be told that he can only join the Muscle League if he wins the Chojin Crown, whilst King Muscle told Kid Muscle he could marry Roxanne if he wins the championship, and Robin Mask told Kevin he would admit his faults and hand over the Mask family estate to Kevin if he wins. Ooh, who will it be?! (Like you don't all know already…)

* * *

**  
Chapter 23 – Everybody Loves Kid Muscle**

Roxanne plunged a straw into her strawberry milkshake, dragging it around the gloopy drink before slowly pulling it back out, crossing her eyes to watch as pink droplets fell from the end of the straw onto the surface of her drink.

"So much for an uneventful summer with no more IWF events or Chojins," she muttered to herself.

Roxanne shuffled further forwards on the stool she was perched on at the diner bar, the straw slipping from her fingers and landing with a pink splat onto the bar surface as the door behind her banged shut. Swallowing hard, Roxanne spun her stool around, forcing a smile as her eyes met Jaeger's.

"Roxanne, hello," he greeted her.

"Hi Jaeger," she replied.

Jaeger remained where he was, standing by the door of the diner. Roxanne remained on her stool, tilting her head slightly as she studied Jaeger. He was dressed in flawlessly white sneakers, a pair of black cycling shorts, a pair of black cyclist's gloves, a green cycling helmet and a pink T-shirt. Roxanne began to wonder if Jaeger had taken the same liking to pink shirts as Kevin Mask had, but as Jaeger removed his helmet and hooked it under one arm, Roxanne saw that across his chest was the white outline of Mars's bird emblem.

Jaeger ran his fingers through his floppy hair, raking it back out of his eyes. He smiled awkwardly at Roxanne, shrugging his shoulders.

"We should sit down," Roxanne said decisively, grabbing up her milkshake and slipping off her stool. "Just pick a table."

"How about zhis von by ze vindow?" Jaeger asked, pointing at a table over his left shoulder.

"Sure, go ahead and sit down," Roxanne replied, nodding her head.

Jaeger walked over to the circular table, the seats of which were three blue, PVC-coated couches. One couch backed onto the window, and two further couches joined on to it, standing side-on to the window. Jaeger slid onto one of the sideways couches, sliding along it to the point where it joined the couch backing onto the window. Roxanne took a seat on the same couch, sitting at the very edge of it, leaving a considerable gap between herself and Jaeger.

"You vant to be vith Kid Muscle," Jaeger began.

"Yes, I do," Roxanne agreed, placing her milkshake on the table surface.

"I understand," Jaeger said with a nod of his head. "Of course, I am sad, because I alvays liked you, Roxanne, but I know how much you love Kid."

"Thanks, Jaeger," Roxanne replied.

"I hope you can understand zhat I vill not be cheering for Kid Muscle in ze Chojin Crown, but not because I resent him for your choice," Jaeger continued.

"I guess you'll be cheering for Mars, right?" Roxanne asked, pointing at Jaeger's T-shirt.

"Ja," Jaeger confirmed.

"Well, he was your friend long before you met Kid Muscle."

"Ja. And I vant Mars to join ze Muscle League."

"Of course."

"Good luck vith King Muscle."

"Thanks, but I'm hoping Kid will win the Chojin Crown, and the cantankerous old fart will finally agree to our wedding."

Jaeger smiled, before turning his head to look out the window at the point where he had parked his bicycle. Roxanne watched him for a moment, before plucking a fresh straw from the box in the centre of the table and dropping it into her milkshake. Roxanne began to slowly drink through the straw, feeling more than a little awkward. She was glad when she saw two familiar faces walking down the street.

"Here comes Terry and Trixie," Jaeger said brightly, placing his helmet on the table and turning to smile at Roxanne.

"Cool," Roxanne said, returning his smile.

"I hear zhey are back togezher, ja?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Roxanne and Jaeger sat in silence again, both watching Terry and Trixie. Trixie had both arms looped over one of Terry's arms, and she was smiling up at him as he told her a story about Kid Muscle and Wally Tusket. Terry led her into the diner, and the couple continued towards the counter.

"Trixie, Terry!" Roxanne called to them.

"Oh, hey there, Roxanne!" Terry said, turning around to face Roxanne's table, pulling Trixie with him.

"Come and sit with us!" Roxanne called back, beckoning for them to join her and Jaeger.

Terry turned to Trixie, who nodded her head to confirm that she wanted to join their friends. The pair walked over to the table, sitting into the couch facing Roxanne and Jaeger.

"We was just discussin' yesterday's match-up," Terry explained.

"Yeah, it was wild!" Trixie added.

"I had no idea Mystery Warrior Red Number Six was Mars!" Roxanne said.

"I can't believe ze McMadds are turning ze tournament into a television soap opera!" Jaeger said.

"Dang, they sure are takin' advantage of poor Kid, Kevin and Mars!" Terry said.

"Poor Kid," Trixie said.

"Poor Kevin," Roxanne said.

"Poor Mars," Jaeger said.

All four fell silent, looking around each other.

"So, who do y'all reckon's gonna win this thing?" Terry ventured.

"Well Kid Muscle, of course!" Trixie instantly replied.

"Kid Muscle?" Roxanne echoed. "Are you kidding me? Kevin Mask is the next champion for sure!"

"Kevin?" Jaeger said. "Oh no, Mars vill vin ze Chojin Crown!"

"Mars?" Trixie repeated. "Mars is gonna get beaten by Kid in their match next week! He isn't even gonna make it to the final match, never mind win the championship!"

"I agree with Trixie," Roxanne said. "I think Kid will beat Mars, and it will be Kid versus Kevin Mask in the finals. But Kid doesn't stand a chance against Kevin, especially not the new and improved Kevin Mask we've been seeing lately!"

"You are all wrong!" Jaeger argued. "Mars vill beat Kid Muscle, and he vill beat Kevin Mask!"

Again, all four fell silent, looking around each other. The sound of the diner door came as a welcome distraction, and all four turned to watch as Dik Dik Van Dik and Kiki walked into the diner together.

"Dik Dik, Kiki!" Terry yelled, his voice sounding desperate as he sought some sort of refuge from the mounting tension at the table.

"Hey, you guys!" Kiki greeted them, walking over to the table.

Kiki sat down next to Terry, smiling at the others. Dik Dik walked over and stood next to Roxanne, who looked up at him dumbly for a moment before reluctantly shuffling closer to Jaeger to allow Dik Dik to sit down at the end of the couch.

"We were just discussing who we think will win the Chojin Crown," Trixie told Kiki and Dik Dik. "I think Kid Muscle will win."

"And I say Kevin Mask will win," Roxanne added.

"And I say it vill be Mars who vins," Jaeger finished.

Kiki glanced around the others, before turning to Terry and smiling sweetly at him.

"What about you, Terry?" she asked him. "Who do you think will win?"

"Well…" Terry began, scratching at the back of his head nervously. "I'd rather not say, to be honest, Kiki."

"Oh come on, Terry!" Trixie urged. "We wanna hear what you think!"

"Well, alright then, but you ain't gonna like it!"

"That doesn't matter!" Roxanne assured him. "We've all disagreed with each other so far! I say the final will be between Kevin Mask and Kid Muscle, and Kevin will win."

"And I say the final will be Kevin Mask and Kid Muscle, and Kid will win," Trixie added.

"And I say ze final vill be Kevin Mask and Mars, and Mars vill vin!" Jaeger finished.

"Well, after seein' how Kevin reacted to Mars and his pappy Sir Robin Mask at yesterday's match, I reckon Kevin will deliberately lose now," Terry began cautiously. "I reckon the final will be Comrade Turbinski and Kid Muscle, and Kid Muscle will win."

"I agree to a certain extent," Dik Dik said. "I think Kevin will bow out too. But I think the final will be Comrade Turbinski against Mars, and Mars will win. Mars is a changed man, and I honestly think he had what it takes to win this thing."

"I disagree," Kiki said. "I think the final will be Kevin Mask against Mars, and Kevin will win."

"You're supporting Kevin?" Trixie yelped.

"I'm not supporting him, I just think that he's the strongest Chojin right now," Kiki sighed. "But I would like Mars to win, obviously."

The diner door opened again, and Checkmate and Wally walked in, spotting the gang and walking over to join them.

"Fellas, we're discussin' how we reckon the Chojin Crown's gonna go!" Terry called to them. "What do you guys think?"

Trixie and Terry shuffled around to the couch backing onto the window, and Kiki slid along the couch to sit opposite Jaeger, freeing two spaces beside herself. Wally sat down next to Kiki, and Checkmate sat next to Wally, at the end of the couch, opposite Dik Dik.

"I think the final will be Kevin Mask against Kid Muscle, and Kid Muscle will win," Wally said.

"Methinks the final will be Comrade Turbinski against Kid Muscle, and Kid will win," Checkmate said.

"Man, doesn't anyone agree?" Terry said.

"Wally agrees with me," Trixie pointed out. "We both think it will be Kid and Kevin, and Kid will win."

"Man, the tournament sure is gettin' interesting!" Terry sighed.

The diner door opened again, and Meat and Marie walked in, heading over to join the gang. Jaeger shuffled around to the couch backing onto the window, sliding up to sit next to Trixie. Roxanne shuffled along to the end of the side-on couch, and Dik Dik slid up next to her. Marie sat down next to Dik Dik, and Meat sat at the end of the row.

"Hey, kids, what's happenin'?" Meat greeted them cheerfully.

"We were discussing our opinions on the possible outcomes of the Chojin Crown tournament," Dik Dik explained.

"Personally, I hope Kid Muscle loses," Marie said openly. "The sooner the better. I hope that nice young man who was my partner in the Three Feet Heat beats him in their match-up in the next round."

"What?" Roxanne yelped. "But mom, if Kid loses the Chojin Crown, King Muscle will never let him marry me!"

"Honey, if Kid has to go as far as to win a wrestling tournament to get his father's permission to marry you, than Suguru obviously is not happy to accept the two of you as a couple," Marie gently explained. "Suguru needs to give his permission openly and honestly, and accept and welcome you into his family with open arms."

"I agree that Suguru has to learn to accept Roxanne, but I still believe the kid can win the championship," Meat said. "If he doesn't, I'll be out of a job!"

"You mean you won't be the Kinniku family slave any more?" Marie asked Meat.

"I'll never be allowed to coach the Kinnikus again!" Meat replied.

"So you'll be free. Free to make your own decisions about your future. Free to pursue your own happiness."

Meat stared up at Marie as he began to catch on to her meaning.

"I'd be free to…" he said slowly. "To Marie… I mean, to marry!"

Marie smiled affectionately at Meat, who grinned nervously back at her, glad that the mask he wore was hiding the scarlet colour his cheeks had taken over his little verbal blunder. Meat was glad when the diner door slammed shut behind them, drawing Marie's attention to the newest customer.

"Hey, it's Comrade Turbinski!" Terry whispered.

"Hey, Turbinski!" Wally called out, waving at the airplane Chojin.

Turbinski waved back, smiling slightly as he walked over to their table. Roxanne shuffled around to sit next to Jaeger on the couch backing onto the window, allowing Dik Dik, Marie and Meat to move along to free a seat for Turbinski.

"Turbinski, we was just talkin' about the Chojin Crown," Terry began. "Ow! Trixie! What did you just stand on ma foot for?"

"Because Turbinski is still in the tournament," Trixie quietly hissed.

"But I was gonna… Oh yeah, right!"

Terry laughed nervously, avoiding Turbinski's eyes.

"Are ya trainin' hard for your match with Kevin Mask, Turbinski?" Meat asked the Russian, hoping to detract from Terry's blunder.

"Yes thank you, Meat," Turbinski politely replied.

Another awkward silence fell over the table, and the group all looked around each other nervously. Once more, the tension was lifted by the sound of the diner door, as two more customers entered the diner.

"Well howdy there, Kevin Mask!" Terry called out.

Kevin continued walking up to the counter, but Lord Flash stopped, turning to fix his cold and calculating green eyes on Terry.

"Won't you join us, fellas?" Terry called to them.

"Comrade – I mean, Kevin, would you like to join these… People?" Lord Flash asked his protégé.

"No," Kevin darkly replied. "I just want a cup of a tea and a crumpet, and I want to enjoy them both on my own and in silence."

"On your own?" Lord Flash asked.

"Well, obviously not entirely on my own, you are welcome to join me, Lord Flash," Kevin corrected himself. "Would you like a cup of tea and a crumpet?"

"I'm rather afraid I don't like crumpets, Kevin," Lord Flash replied.

"You don't like crumpets! Goodness me, Lord Flash, sometimes I wonder how you can even be an Englishman when you say such things."

"Yes, well…I think perhaps we should join these fellows, Comrade – I mean Kevin."

Lord Flash started towards the table, causing Kevin to spin around, glaring after his trainer.

"Lord Flash, are you mad, man?" he demanded. "I will not sit with those fools!"

"Then you shall have your wish, Kevin," Lord Flash plainly replied. "You shall drink your tea and eat your crumpet on your own."

Kiki shuffled around to sit next to Terry on the couch backing onto the window, meaning there were five people squashed onto it in total, with barely enough room to move. Wally slid along to the end of the couch to sit where Kiki had been sitting before, allowing Checkmate to slide along and free up two spaces at the end of the couch.

"Thank you," Lord Flash said, sitting down next to Checkmate. "Come along, Kevin, don't dally," he called to Kevin Mask.

Kevin grumbled and moaned to himself as he marched over to the table, dropping himself onto the end of the couch next to Lord Flash. Again, the table fell into silence until again Terry broke the ice.

"Well, I sure hope nobody else shows up!" he joked. "Cause this here table is only meant for twelve people, four on each side, and already we got thirteen. It's kinda cramped here with five of us on this couch."

"Thirteen is unlucky!" Trixie pointed out. "We need someone else to join us, to even up the numbers!"

"Or perhaps you just need someone to leave you, and that way there will also be just the right amount of seats for everyone here," Kevin replied. "So if you will just excuse me."

Kevin stood up, jerking in shock as he found himself face-to-face with another man, who was standing mere inches from him.

"Aw, what's da matter, Mask? Did I frighten ya?"

"Get out of my way, Mars!"

Mars grinned at Kevin, placing both hands on Kevin's shoulders and pushing downwards. He forced Kevin back into his seat and then walked over to the other side of the table.

"Move up, I'll even da number for yous," he said.

Dik Dik squashed up to the very end of the couch, and Marie, Meat and Turbinski all moved along, leaving a gap at the end of the couch just big enough for Mars to sit down. Mars sat down with a grin, looking across the table at Kevin, who sat directly across from him.

Kevin glared back at Mars, and again a deathly silence fell over the group. The other twelve at the table all watched Kevin and Mars attempt to out-stare each other, the silence growing so intense, the sound of the diner door opening suddenly startled the girls and Kevin. Mars laughed at Kevin's reaction, but Kevin's attention was occupied elsewhere.

"Hey, look, the whole gang is here!"

Kevin cleared his throat awkwardly as Kid Muscle walked over to him.

"Move up, guys!" Kid said.

Wally, Checkmate and Lord Flash shuffled along to make space for Kid, but Kevin stood up to leave.

"You can have my seat, Kid Muscle," he said.

"Nuh-uh, you gotta stay, Kevin!" Kid ordered, pushing Kevin back down in the same way Mars had done only moments ago.

Kevin groaned as he sat onto the couch again, hurriedly sliding closer to Lord Flash as Kid began to sit down, almost sitting on top of Kevin in the process.

"So guys, what's up?" Kid asked, grinning at everyone else in turn. "This is so weird! Look at everyone! We're all here, in this diner, at the same time! I mean, what are the odds of that?"

The others remained silent, their attentions anywhere but on Kid Muscle. Turbinski was eying Kevin, Meat was gazing up at Marie thoughtfully, Marie was watching Roxanne, Dik Dik was watching Mars, Roxanne was looking at Kevin, Jaeger was looking at Mars, Trixie was looking at Terry, Terry was looking back at Trixie, Kiki was staring at Mars, Wally was watching Turbinski, Checkmate was looking at Mars, Lord Flash was looking at Kevin, and Kevin and Mars were still staring at each other.

"Man, I'm so hungry I could eat a whole cow!" Kid continued, grabbing up a menu from the centre of the table. "In fact, I'm gonna have me some cow and rice! Ha ha! With my rice I like to have some cow, cow, cow!"

Turbinski was still eying Kevin, Meat was still gazing up at Marie, Marie was still watching Roxanne, Dik Dik had shifted his attention to Kiki, Roxanne had shifted her attention to Mars, Jaeger was still watching Mars, Trixie was watching Kevin, Terry was watching Mars, Kiki was staring at Kevin, Wally was looking at Mars, Checkmate was looking at Turbinski, Lord Flash was studying Mars, and Kevin and Mars were still staring at each other.

"It tastes so very good I don't know how, how, how!" Kid sang, making his menu dance in the air above his head.

Turbinski glared at Kevin, Meat gazed at Marie, Marie watched Roxanne, Dik Dik watched Mars, Roxanne watched Kevin, Jaeger looked at Mars, Trixie watched Mars, Terry watched Kevin, Kiki stared at Mars, Wally stared at Lord Flash, Checkmate looked at Dik Dik, Lord Flash watched Kevin, and Kevin and Mars stared at each other.

"It's my favourite form of chow, wow!" Kid sang on, rising to a crescendo.

Turbinski stared at Kevin, Meat gazed at Marie, Marie watched Roxanne, Dik Dik stared at Kiki, Roxanne stared at Mars, Jaeger watched Mars, Trixie stared at Kevin, Terry stared at Mars, Kiki watched Kevin, Wally stared at Turbinski, Checkmate eyed Lord Flash, Lord Flash glowered at Mars, and Kevin and Mars stared at each other.

"Eat now!" Kid yelled.

"Can I take your order, Sir?" a waitress asked, appearing by Kid with a notepad.

"Yeah!" Kid yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "I want…"

Kid looked around the table, pointing a finger at each of the people at the table as he counted them off.

"Nineteen bowls of cow and rice!" he declared. "One for everyone here, and five for me! And some fish, I gotta have some fish!"

"What sort of fish would Sir like?" the waitress asked.

"Just seafood, and lots of it!" Kid replied.

"I can give you our sushi special, or our meat platter."

"Meat platter?"

"It's one of every kind of meat on one plate."

"All on one plate? I want one of them!"

"Alright then, that's nineteen bowls of cow and rice and one meat platter, coming right up! And what would Sir like to drink with that?"

"Drink? I don't have time to drink! I need to fit all that food inside me!"

"Alright."

Kid grinned to himself as the waitress headed off to collect his order.

"I slept until 11 o'clock this morning!" Kid said.

Turbinski watched Kevin, Meat gazed at Marie, Marie watched Roxanne, Dik Dik scowled at Mars, Roxanne looked at Jaeger, Jaeger looked at Roxanne, Trixie looked at Terry, Terry looked at Trixie, Kiki frowned at Dik Dik, Wally looked at Terry, Checkmate watched Mars, Lord Flash eyed Turbinski, and Kevin and Mars stared at each other.

"I had a dream I was a horse," Kid continued. "But not like the sort of horse that Checkmate can turn himself into. I mean I was like a real horse. And I was in a race. A horserace. I was a horse in a horserace. I wore my yellow pyjamas last night. I forgot to brush my teeth today, but I don't think Meat noticed. Actually, come to think of it, I don't think I brushed my teeth yesterday, either. And I know I haven't washed my feet for three days, because man, do they stink!"

Turbinski and Lord Flash stared at each other, Meat and Marie watched each other, Dik Dik and Kiki looked at each other, Roxanne and Jaeger stared at each other, Trixie and Terry gazed at each other, Wally and Checkmate looked at each other and Kevin and Mars stared at each other.

"This one time, I let my toenails grow really, really long," Kid began. "And then this other time, my dad ordered a pizza, and I stole it and ate it all, and he thought he never ordered it in the first place, and so he ordered another pizza, and I don't really like anchovies, but then most people don't, but I usually eat them anyway because I love all food."

Turbinski and Lord Flash stared at each other, Meat and Marie stared at each other, Dik Dik and Kiki stared at each other, Roxanne and Jaeger stared at each other, Trixie and Terry stared at each other, Wally and Checkmate stared at each other and Kevin and Mars stared at each other.

"Sometimes, if I listen really hard, I can hear this little voice," Kid carried on, oblivious to the tension around him. "And it sorta sounds like my voice, only it can't be, because I'm not actually talking, and then I think maybe it's Meat, but sometimes I hear it when I'm all alone, but Meat never really leaves me alone, he follows me everywhere, like even to the toilet when I go for a dump and we don't have a toilet in our hut. Had anyone else ever noticed that?"

Turbinski and Lord Flash stared at each other, Meat and Marie stared at each other, Dik Dik and Kiki stared at each other, Roxanne and Jaeger stared at each other, Trixie and Terry stared at each other, Wally and Checkmate stared at each other and Kevin and Mars stared at each other.

"Oh wow, here comes the food!" Kid rejoiced, clapping his hands together as the first four bowls of cow and rice were placed on the table in front of him. "Pass them along, guys!"

Kid passed the first bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally and Wally passed the bowl to Kiki, but the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki shoved the bowl to Terry, her eyes still locked on Dik Dik. Terry passed the bowl to Trixie, who passed it to Jaeger, without turning from Terry. Jaeger handed the bowl to Roxanne, who passed it along to Dik Dik, without looking away from Jaeger's eyes. Dik Dik slid the bowl to Marie, still watching Kiki as he did so. Marie passed the bowl to Meat, who handed it over his shoulder to Turbinski without turning round. Turbinski slid the bowl to Mars without moving his eyes from Lord Flash. The bowl sat motionless in front of Mars, who was still staring at Kevin.

"With my rice I like to have some cow, cow, cow!" Kid sang.

Kid passed the second bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally and Wally passed the bowl to Kiki, but the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki shoved the bowl to Terry, her eyes still locked on Dik Dik. Terry passed the bowl to Trixie, who passed it to Jaeger, without turning from Terry. Jaeger handed the bowl to Roxanne, who passed it along to Dik Dik, without looking away from Jaeger's eyes. Dik Dik slid the bowl to Marie, still watching Kiki as he did so. Marie passed the bowl to Meat, who slid it across the table surface to Turbinski without turning round. The bowl sat motionless in front of Turbinski, who was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"It tastes so very good I don't know how, how, how!" Kid sang.

Kid passed the third bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally and Wally passed the bowl to Kiki, but the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki shoved the bowl to Terry, her eyes still locked on Dik Dik. Terry passed the bowl to Trixie, who passed it to Jaeger, without turning from Terry. Jaeger handed the bowl to Roxanne, who passed it along to Dik Dik, without looking away from Jaeger's eyes. Dik Dik slid the bowl to Marie, still watching Kiki as he did so. Marie placed the bowl down in front of Meat, where it sat neglected. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"It's my favourite form of chow, wow!" Kid sang.

Kid passed the fourth bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally and Wally passed the bowl to Kiki, but the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki shoved the bowl to Terry, her eyes still locked on Dik Dik. Terry passed the bowl to Trixie, who passed it to Jaeger, without turning from Terry. Jaeger handed the bowl to Roxanne, who passed it along to Dik Dik, without looking away from Jaeger's eyes. Dik Dik slid the bowl to Marie, where it sat untouched. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"Eat now!" Kid finished.

The waitress placed another four bowls in front of Kid. Kid passed the first bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally and Wally passed the bowl to Kiki, but the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki shoved the bowl to Terry, her eyes still locked on Dik Dik. Terry passed the bowl to Trixie, who passed it to Jaeger, without turning from Terry. Jaeger handed the bowl to Roxanne, who passed it along to Dik Dik, without looking away from Jaeger's eyes. The bowl sat abandoned in front of Dik Dik, who was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"Look at all the food!" Kid drooled.

Kid passed the second bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally and Wally passed the bowl to Kiki, but the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki shoved the bowl to Terry, her eyes still locked on Dik Dik. Terry passed the bowl to Trixie, who passed it to Jaeger, without turning from Terry. Jaeger handed the bowl to Roxanne, who accepted it, but did not attempt to eat it. Roxanne was still staring at Jaeger. Dik Dik was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"Man, all this food is gonna totally give me gas!" Kid said.

Kid passed the third bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally and Wally passed the bowl to Kiki, but the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki shoved the bowl to Terry, her eyes still locked on Dik Dik. Terry passed the bowl to Trixie, who passed it to Jaeger, without turning from Terry. The bowl sat untouched in front of Jaeger, who was still staring at Roxanne. Roxanne was still staring at Jaeger. Dik Dik was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"I wonder how many cows they use to make each bowl of cow and rice?" Kid mused.

Kid passed the fourth bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally and Wally passed the bowl to Kiki, but the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki shoved the bowl to Terry, her eyes still locked on Dik Dik. Terry passed the bowl to Trixie, who placed it down on the table disinterestedly, her eyes still locked on Terry. Jaeger was still staring at Roxanne. Roxanne was still staring at Jaeger. Dik Dik was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

The waitress placed another four bowls in front of Kid.

"More food, guys!" Kid called out.

Kid passed the first bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally and Wally passed the bowl to Kiki, but the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki shoved the bowl to Terry, her eyes still locked on Dik Dik. Terry ignored the bowl, which sat steaming in front of him, his attention still consumed with Trixie. Trixie was still staring at Terry. Jaeger was still staring at Roxanne. Roxanne was still staring at Jaeger. Dik Dik was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"I haven't been here for so long!" Kid sighed. "I think this place does the best cow and rice ever! Except for my mom's, of course!"

Kid passed the second bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally and Wally passed the bowl to Kiki, but the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki accepted the bowl, but put it down uneaten, her eyes still locked on Dik Dik. Terry was still staring at Trixie. Trixie was still staring at Terry. Jaeger was still staring at Roxanne. Roxanne was still staring at Jaeger. Dik Dik was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"I miss my mom sometimes," Kid said. "But other times, I miss cheese. There's not enough cheese on this planet. Back home, there's a lot more cheese. And there's a lot more cows. Which is probably why there's so much more cheese. More cheese and more cows and more cow and rice."

Kid passed the third bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate passed the bowl to Wally who accepted it, but did not attempt to eat it, as the two Chojins continued to stare at each other. Kiki was still staring at Dik Dik. Terry was still staring at Trixie. Trixie was still staring at Terry. Jaeger was still staring at Roxanne. Roxanne was still staring at Jaeger. Dik Dik was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"Hurry up, guys, there's more food coming!" Kid urged.

Kid passed the fourth bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash shoved the bowl down again, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate ignored the bowl of food, as he was still staring at Wally. Wally was still staring at Checkmate. Kiki was still staring at Dik Dik. Terry was still staring at Trixie. Trixie was still staring at Terry. Jaeger was still staring at Roxanne. Roxanne was still staring at Jaeger. Dik Dik was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"Wow, thanks!" Kid said, accepting another four bowls from the waitress. "I just love cow and rice!"

Kid passed the first bowl to Kevin, who shoved it along to Lord Flash, never moving his eyes from Mars. Lord Flash ignored the bowl in front of him, his eyes still locked on Turbinski. Checkmate was still staring at Wally. Wally was still staring at Checkmate. Kiki was still staring at Dik Dik. Terry was still staring at Trixie. Trixie was still staring at Terry. Jaeger was still staring at Roxanne. Roxanne was still staring at Jaeger. Dik Dik was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"Whatever happened to Dial Bolic?" Kid mused. "Did he… Did he die? Did the Pumpinator kill him? Is it possible to kill a robot? Road Rage was a robot too. Robots can be evil, but people are evil too."

Kid passed the second bowl to Kevin, where it sat unmoving, as Kevin continued to stare at Mars. Lord Flash was still staring at Turbinski. Checkmate was still staring at Wally. Wally was still staring at Checkmate. Kiki was still staring at Dik Dik. Terry was still staring at Trixie. Trixie was still staring at Terry. Jaeger was still staring at Roxanne. Roxanne was still staring at Jaeger. Dik Dik was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

"Yay, these are all for me!" Kid cheered, hugging the remaining two bowls of cow and rice.

The waitress placed down three further bowls of cow and rice, and Kid's meat platter.

"Oh wow, what should I eat first, guys?" Kid asked, drooling as he eyed his choices. "I know!"

Kid clapped one hand over his eyes, and waved the other hand over the bowls in front of himself, smacking his hand down suddenly onto a bowl of cow and rice.

"Ha ha!" he cried as he lifted his hand from his eyes. "It's cow and rice!"

Kid began gorging himself on his favourite dish, meaning that, other than the sounds of Kid chewing, swallowing, smacking his lips together and the sound of chopsticks clicking together and scraping the sides of the bowl, the table was once more plunged into silence.

Kevin was still staring at Mars. Lord Flash was still staring at Turbinski. Checkmate was still staring at Wally. Wally was still staring at Checkmate. Kiki was still staring at Dik Dik. Terry was still staring at Trixie. Trixie was still staring at Terry. Jaeger was still staring at Roxanne. Roxanne was still staring at Jaeger. Dik Dik was still staring at Kiki. Marie was still staring at Meat. Meat was still staring at Marie. Turbinski was still staring at Lord Flash. Mars was still staring at Kevin.

Kid finished his first bowl, and started on his second, but still others were still and silent.

Kid finished his second bowl of cow and rice and his third and his fourth and even his fifth; but still the others were silent.

Kid piled up the five empty bowls, pushing them into the centre of the table. He pulled the giant plate of meat in front of himself, his eyes shining as he eyed his choices.

"You know what, guys?" he said, lifting his head from the platter. "The power of friendship has taught me to share with my friends. So who wants some beef? Dik Dik?"

"I'm a vegetarian, remember Kid?" Dik Dik replied, looking for the first time at Kid as he addressed him.

"So you don't want any beef?" Kid confirmed.

"No Kid," Dik Dik patiently replied. "I am a vegetarian. I don't eat beef. Or any other kind of meat for that matter."

"Hey Kid, I'll have some beef," Mars said, turning to Kid.

Mars reached across the table and grabbed up a beefsteak in one hand, leaning forwards to watch Dik Dik's reaction as he bit into the meat with his fangs, tearing loose a sizeable chunk.

"Ugh," Dik Dik groaned, turning to look out of the window.

"What's da matter, Van Dik?" Mars asked as he chewed through the beef.

"Yeah Dik Dik, what's wrong with you?" Kiki asked Dik Dik. "Why did you lie to us all?"

"What?" Dik Dik echoed, turning back to Kiki.

"You lied to us about Mars!" Kiki snapped.

"I was trying to protect you!" Dik Dik argued back.

"I'm not a child, Dik Dik, I'm quite capable of looking after myself, thanks very much!"

"You lied to us too, Checkmate," Wally challenged Checkmate. "You told us Mars was dead. He lived through that attack. You should have helped him when you saw those awful DMP wrestlers attacking him!"

"Thou art always so righteous!" Checkmate argued back. "What wouldst thy mother say if she could see you now, hm?"

"Are you calling me a mamma's boy?" Wally growled.

"Yes," Checkmate plainly replied.

"Well at least I can speak proper English!" Wally yelled.

"I doth speak proper English, 'tis you who hath yet to learn thy own mother tongue!"

"I always had difficulty understandin' ol' Checkmate," Terry said to Trixie.

"I always thought you had the cutest accent," Trixie replied dreamily.

"Had the cutest accent?"

"You still have the cutest accent now, of course!"

"Your accent grates on my nerves, Jaeger," Roxanne frankly told Jaeger.

"But Roxanne, you said you vanted to come and live in Germany vith me and my fazher!" Jaeger argued back.

"Yeah, and man am I ever glad that I never went ahead with that idea!" Roxanne said, rolling her eyes.

"Poor Roxanne, she's so confused," Marie said to Meat.

"I know how she feels," Meat said with a sigh. "It's awful to be so totally in love with someone, when all the time you know you just can't have them."

"But what can we do about it?" Marie asked.

"I'm sure the kid won't always need my help, I could retire and help you run the orphanage," Meat replied.

"What? What does that have to do with Kid and Roxanne?"

"Kid and Roxanne? Oh, I thought you were talkin' about me and… Never mind…"

"Vot are you looking at, little man?" Turbinski asked Lord Flash. "In two days time, I vill defeat your pupil, and I vill advance to ze finals of ze Chojin Crown."

"You don't know what you're talking about, you fool!" Lord Flash spat. "Kevin is working on a new move, and once he's used it on you, it will be dosvidania, Comrade Turbinski!"

"You are such an arsehole," Kevin grumbled, as Mars finished off his steak, sucking each of his fingertips in turn.

"You know you wouldn't want me any other way, squealer," Mars drawled sarcastically.

"I hope Kid Muscle destroys you in your next match, scarface!" Kevin shot back.

"Why, are you too chicken to fight me yourself in da next round, squealer?" Mars asked.

"You wish!"

Mars smirked to himself, jabbing one foot out under the table, the toe of his boot striking into Kevin's shin. Kevin growled back at Mars, but otherwise did not respond. Not satisfied with this, Mars kicked at Kevin again, his grin widening. Mars began kicking repeatedly at Kevin, only stopping when Kevin lunged across the table, grabbing up Roxanne's milkshake, and then hurling the contents of the glass at Mars's face.

The bickering and quarrelling around the table ceased, even Kid Muscle fell silent, and all eyes turned to Mars to watch his reaction. Mars slowly reached a hand to his face, dragging the palm of his hand over his eyes, nose and chin, scraping the gloopy pink substance from his face. As Mars's hand fell back to the table, he slowly opened his eyes, fixing them on to Kevin, his grin replaced by a scowl.

Kevin placed the empty glass down on the table surface, confidently staring back at Mars. Mars lifted his hand from the table again, holding it in the air for a moment before lunging across the table and grabbing the spike on top of Kevin's helmet. Before Kevin could react, Mars tugged forwards and downwards, smacking Kevin's head and face off the table, before sitting back down and smirking smugly to himself.

Kevin sat up, eying Mars for a moment before drawing his legs up under himself and standing up on to the couch. Mars looked up at Kevin in a state of moderate amusement, before copying Kevin's action, and standing on the couch. Kevin stepped up onto the table, and, with a smirk of delight, Mars did the same.

"Arsehole!" Kevin growled, stepping closer to Mars.

"Squealer," Mars retaliated, stepping closer to Kevin.

"Fool!" Kevin cursed, taking one more step to stand in the centre of the table.

"Loser," Mars scoffed, stepping into the centre of the table.

The two stood so close their bodies were almost touching, staring at each other silently.

"Cover you heads, won't you?" Kevin called out, grabbing Mars by the front of his outfit.

"Mask, what are you doin'?" Mars asked nervously.

"Oh, nothing much," Kevin replied calmly. "Just this."

Kevin hoisted Mars off his feet and threw him to one side, throwing him through the window of the diner. The others screamed and cowered down as broken glass shards rained all round them.

"Well, I did warn you!" Kevin moaned, stomping along the table towards where Trixie sat.

Trixie screamed in fear, freezing on the spot as Kevin stepped onto the back of the couch she was sat on, one foot at either side of Trixie's head. From his vantage point, he watched as Mars got to his feet, cursing to himself as he brushed dirt and glass from his clothing and straightened his headdress.

Once Mars had regained his composure, Kevin leapt off the couch, flying through the space where the window had been moments ago, colliding with Mars and knocking both men to the ground. Kevin quickly got to his feet again and kicked Mars in the ribs, rolling him right over. Mars groaned, hugging at his ribs as he pushed himself up onto his knees.

Kevin walked around, grabbing the peak of Mars's headdress with one hand, he balled the other hand into a fist and punched Mars on the face. Mars grabbed both of Kevin's ankles, tugging them forwards to cause Kevin to fall flat on his back. Mars used the break to get to his feet, but Kevin leapt up in front of him, slapping a hand across Mars's face.

"Wait a minute!" Mars roared, holding up both hands as Kevin attempted another punch to Mars's cheek.

Kevin paused, his eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Is dis a fight?" Mars asked.

"You can bet your arse it is!" Kevin yelled, swinging his fist forwards.

Mars quickly blocked the blow, catching Kevin's roundhouse on his forearm. He grabbed Kevin by the throat with his other hand, tugging the Brit closer to himself. Mars forced Kevin around, winding an arm around Kevin's neck to lock him into a sleeperhold.

"You don't honestly expect to weaken me with a textbook move like this, do you?" Kevin sneered.

"Hell yeah," Mars quietly replied. "Just remember where my hands are, Mask."

Kevin stiffened as he realised that both of Mars's hands were hovering over the release mechanism on his iron helmet. As Mars had successfully removed Kevin's mask many times before, Kevin knew only too well that Mars could snatch the mask off in a heartbeat if he so desired, exposing Kevin's face to the thirteen others inside the diner and all the passers-by on the street.

"What do you want this time, scarface?" Kevin asked.

"I want you to stop smackin' me about, Mask," Mars plainly replied. "I gotta match in four days' time, and I don't wanna be goin' in wid a disadvantage, you understand what I'm sayin'?"

"Of course," Kevin agreed.

"Well good," Mars said, releasing his hold of Kevin.

Kevin turned around to face Mars, who shrugged his shoulders at him, licking at a sticky pool of strawberry milkshake at one corner of his mouth.

"Of course you know I wouldn't really wanna take dat mask off of ya, squealer," he said.

"Why not? You've done it before," Kevin quietly pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm sure you wouldn't want dose girls over dere seein' dat face of yours, huh?" Mars ventured. "Cause den dey would know dat yous like just like dat pretty songboy, Nick Hasler."

Kevin sweatdropped as Mars grinned at him, obviously proud of his own attempt at humour.

"I'll see ya tomorrow Mask, yeah?" he said, backing away from Kevin and waving a hand in the air.

"Tomorrow?" Kevin asked.

"At da studio, yeah?" Mars replied. "We gots dat interview wid Jacqueline McMadd, remember?"

"Oh…"

"See ya round, squealer."

Mars walked off down the street, leaving Kevin standing on his own in the middle of the carpet of glass shards that spread over the street. The others were climbing out the hollow window-frame or creeping out the diner door to watch Mars leave, and when Kevin noticed their presence, he angrily yanked up the collar of his long coat, and strode off in the same direction Mars was heading in.

"Interview with Jacqueline McMadd?" Roxanne asked, turning to Kid. "What's that all about?"

Kid, who was the only person still sitting at the table, swallowed his mouthful of squid before answering Roxanne.

"Yeah, we have to talk about why we want to win the Chojin Crown," Kid explained.

"Another marketing ploy then," Trixie drawled, arching her eyebrows at Roxanne.

"Like they really need it," Roxanne said with a sigh. "After Mars's match yesterday, I think the semi final matches got all the hype they need! I can't imagine what else the McMadds could possible do to make the Chojin Crown any more dramatic!"

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** In a four-part chapter, Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki contemplate the possible outcomes of the Chojin Crown, and Jacqueline carries out three interviews: the "Love" interview with Kid Muscle, the "Honour" interview with Kevin Mask and the "Redemption" interview with Mars. **Chapter 24 – Love, Honour and Redemption**. 

**Harlequinny:** Just an aside, about your last review. My ex-boyfriend and I always used to call Robin Mask Sean Connery, since the guy who does his voice is obviously trying to sound like Sean Connery. We thought it was doubly hilarious, because all Scottish people who become a rich success leave Scotland, and they usually move to London and get a knighthood, so Robin Mask's character was a pretty good metaphor. (I know it's terribly racist to say that all Scottish people who make something of themselves leave Scotland, but I myself am Scottish and living in Scotland, so I'm allowed to say it!)


	25. Love, Honour and Redemption

**A/N:** "Garlic-reeking pig-boy" is the line Dik Dik uses to describe Kid Muscle when they go girl-hunting in the Manga, and since I quite liked it, I thought I would just slip it into this chapter.

Given the way this chapter is structured, I could have broken it down into three chapters: one about Kid, one about Kevin and one about Mars. But I hate writers who stop halfway through scenes and leave huge cliffhanger endings to their chapters, so it would have been hypocritical to break this one down any further. Hypocritical, but practical, since that would have meant three normal length chapters as opposed to this monster, 10,000 word chapter. Ah well, I never was practical!

Language warning for the section on Mars. I tried to keep it clean, but failed miserably.

**Recap:** No-one seems to share the same opinion on what the final outcome of the Chojin Crown will be, but everyone agrees that the McMadds are manipulating Kid, Kevin and Mars to up the ratings for the remaining three matches.

* * *

**  
Chapter 24 – Love, Honour and Redemption**

Roxanne sat alone at a table for four in the hotel dining-lounge, jabbing a spoon at her half-eaten bowl of breakfast cereal. She had lost her friends after the excitement in the diner the day before, and in a few hours' time, the live broadcast of Kid, Kevin and Mars's interviews would be shown on television. She had not slept the night before, and all the waiting was doing little for her already frayed nerves. She still could not believe that King Muscle had had the nerve to tell Kid that he could only marry her if he won the Chojin Crown.

As much as Roxanne still wanted to be with Kid, she felt that their relationship had suffered so badly from the pressures of King Muscle, they would never truly be happy together. Even if Kid did win the Chojin Crown, and she were to marry him, what then? King Muscle had said that Kid would only ascend to the throne when King Muscle himself had decided that it was time for him to retire, meaning that she and Kid would be forced to live in Muscle Palace, under the rule of two people who had made it quite clear that Roxanne was not good enough for their one and only precious son, and they were only willing to tolerate her because their son had insisted upon marrying her.

And, Roxanne thought to herself, that was only what would become of them if Kid were to win the Chojin Crown. But what if he failed to win the championship? What if, just like the news reports were predicting, Kid Muscle was defeated in the final round by Kevin Mask? King Muscle would never allow the marriage to take place then, and he would be furious with Kid for having been beaten by one of the Muscle family's biggest rivals: a Mask. The wedding would never happen then, and King Muscle would probably be so ashamed of Kid, he would force him to relocate to another planet, meaning Roxanne would never see the prince again.

Roxanne slid her bowl of cereal to the centre of the table, lifting her forearms onto the table and lowering her chin to rest it on the backs of her hands. There was so much at stake, and the infuriating McMadds saw it all as nothing more than a grand publicity stunt. Roxanne curled her fingers beneath her chin to form her hands into fists as she thought about the sheer audacity of Jacqueline McMadd; but Roxanne's dark and scheming thoughts were shortly interrupted as she spotted Kiki walking towards passed the dining area towards the staircase.

"Kiki?" she called after her, sitting up straight.

Kiki skidded to a halt, standing perfectly still, her back still turned to Roxanne.

"Kiki, where were you?" Roxanne called to her. "I haven't seen you since… Since yesterday at the diner!"

"Oh yeah!" Kiki nervously answered, turning to face Roxanne. "I guess I just got side-tracked! I had to meet my sister at the garage to sort out the insurance after the accident, and all."

"Oh yeah, I forgot all about that," Roxanne said slowly.

"So…" Kiki began, slowly walking over to where Roxanne sat. "How are you feeling today?"

"Awful," Roxanne replied. "I just can't do this. I can't stand it any longer. The tension is killing me. What if Kid loses, Kiki? What will I do?"

Roxanne looked up at Kiki, who had stopped behind the chair facing Roxanne's. The look on Kiki's face made Roxanne frown quizzically.

"What's up?" she asked.

"What if Kid loses?" Kiki quietly asked. "If Kid loses, it means you're back to where you were before: you and Kid want to get married but King Muscle won't let you. You haven't gained anything, but at least you haven't lost anything, either."

"What's your point?" Roxanne asked tersely.

"My point is Roxanne, whether or not Kid wins, you're no worse off. If Mars loses, he'll leave again, and not only will I have to go through losing him all over again, but this time, I really do know that this time, I'll never see him again."

"Is that where you've really been all this time? Have you been with Mars?"

"No, I haven't! I don't even know where he is! I wanted to talk to him, but he's not staying at this hotel, and I didn't know where else to look for him!"

"Did you try that five star palace Kevin Mask is staying at?"

"No…"

Roxanne shrugged her shoulders at Kiki as Kiki processed that idea. Kiki slowly pulled out the chair in front of her, sitting down into it.

"Okay, so if you were at the garage sorting out your insurance claim with your sister, where has Trixie been all this time?" Roxanne asked.

"Trixie?" Kiki asked, frowning for a moment. "Oh, she went out somewhere last night, she said she had to go alone, so I left her to it."

"Pff!"

Kiki watched Roxanne roll her eyes and shake her head.

"What, you don't believe her?" Kiki asked.

"Alone?" Roxanne asked, arching her eyebrows. "Trixie? She was obviously meeting up with Terry!"

"No, she wasn't!" Kiki replied.

"Of course she was! Sheesh Kiki, must you always be so naïve?"

"I know she wasn't with Terry because I heard him offer to go with her, but she told him no! I saw her leave here completely alone!"

"Really?"

Roxanne frowned to herself, thinking this over for a moment.

"That's so… So… Un-Trixie-like, I don't really know what to think now…" she said slowly.

"I know," Kiki agreed. "I think she was up to something, though. She took a lot of cash with her, and she was wearing a really… Flirty outfit."

"You mean she was dressed like a sl–"

"That's not nice, Roxanne!"

"I wonder where she was going? And she hasn't come back yet? So has she been out all night?"

"I never heard her come back last night, and I didn't see her before I left this morning."

"No, me neither."

Roxanne and Kiki sat in silence for a moment longer, each trying to decide where Trixie might have gone and what she might have been up to.

"So, um, you think Mars will leave again if he doesn't win the Chojin Crown?" Roxanne cautiously asked.

"I know he will," Kiki replied with a sigh. "He said before that he could only stay if he was allowed to join the Muscle League, and now the McMadds are saying he can only join if he wins the championship."

"The sad thing is, Kiki, as much as I want Kid to win, and as much as you want Mars to win, we both know what will really happen, don't we?" Roxanne quietly asked.

"Oh, probably," Kiki whispered. "The next Chojin Crown Champion will be Nick Hasler."

"It's not even like he needs to win, either," Roxanne continued. "He's got nothing to lose if he doesn't win. Kid needs to win so that he can marry me. Mars needs to win to join the Muscle League and stay here. Kevin doesn't need to win the Chojin Crown for anything. Kevin just wants to win so that he can prove that he's as good a wrestler as his dad. Big deal. He's not even a member of the Muscle League or an employee of the IWF! He probably won't ever wrestle again until the next Chojin Crown tournament! He's just a glory seeker!"

"I totally agree!" Kiki said firmly.

"That's a bit harsh, girls! And besides, there's a lot more to Kevin's story than just stepping out of his father's shadow! Not all Kevin's secrets were revealed in his book, you know! You should check out his up close and personal interview with Jacqueline McMadd, today, live and in person!"

Roxanne and Kiki looked up at Trixie, who was grinning from ear to ear, brandishing three tickets by her chin.

"You got tickets for the interviews?" Roxanne asked.

"But of course!" Trixie replied, tossing the tickets down onto the table.

"But how did you manage that?" Kiki asked. "They sold out like within an hour of Mars defeating Ricardo!"

"Let's just say I have my ways…" Trixie slyly replied.

"Back row…" Roxanne muttered, eying the tickets.

"Hey, at least I managed to get us seats!" Trixie snapped.

"Then I guess we're going," Kiki sighed. "Out of interest, Trixie, who do you think will win this thing in the end?"

"Kid Muscle, of course!" Trixie frankly replied. "I'm sorry Kiki, but Kid has beaten Mars before, he can easily do it again. And he will beat Kevin Mask. Not because he's any better, just because he needs to, and he knows that. I have total faith in Kid winning this whole thing!"

Roxanne and Kiki turned towards each other, and then both looked down at the tickets lying between them.

"I guess only time will tell," Roxanne said, grabbing up one ticket for herself.

"And I guess hearing each wrestler's thoughts on the next three matches should give us a better idea of who will win," Kiki added, taking a ticket.

"That's the spirit!" Trixie said cheerfully, snatching up the remaining ticket. "Now let's go!"

* * *

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, wrestling fans the world over," Jacqueline said. "May I welcome you all to _Love, Honour and Redemption_, the pre-semi-final show for the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown, where I, Jacqueline McMadd, will be talking with three of our remaining four contestants about their thoughts and feelings about their upcoming matches." 

Jacqueline, who was perched on a stool in the centre of a brightly lit stage, her leg crossed, her hands on her knee, tossed her head to each side, flicking her long cerise hair over each of her shoulders in turn.

"First on the show today, I will be talking to Kid Muscle," Jacqueline continued, holding out one hand to her right side, gesturing towards the large television screen at the back corner of the stage.

A picture of Kid Muscle appeared on the screen; more particularly, it was the picture that had been used for Kid's cardboard cut-out display that appeared in all the IWF gift shops alongside the bin full of _Kid Muscle – The Reason_ books.

"Kid Muscle first made his debut with the IWF four years ago," Jacqueline said. "In his debut match, he defeated Dial Bolic in a memorable contest, a match of both brawn and brains."

The screen behind Jacqueline began showing a slideshow of shots from Kid's match against Dial Bolic.

"Kid then moved on to defeat the awesome Pumpinator, driving off the two DMP members' leader, Kevin Mask," Jacqueline said. "Kid's next major victory was against Checkmate, who, under the tutelage of Sunshine, had joined a faction of the DMP known as _The Nightmares_."

The screen began reeling off keys shots of the match between Kid and Checkmate.

"Kid's motivation to fight against Checkmate came in the form of a popularity contest," Jacqueline said. "When all his friends, and even all of his enemies, were voted more popular with the ladies, Kid resorted to desperate measures get some attention for himself. Kid's initial number of votes totalled just one. Until now, that identity of that one person to place a vote for Kid has remained a secret. But today, I, Jacqueline McMadd, will be revealing to all you IWF wrestling fans the true identity of the caller who voted for an unpopular and unattractive Kid Muscle."

"Man, Jacqueline McMadd is so brutal!" Kiki whispered. "How can she say those things about Kid when this interview is meant to be about promoting him as a contender for the championship?"

"I'm more concerned about the fact that she is still wearing the same outfit," Trixie hissed. "How many days is that now? How many weeks is that now?"

"That phone-in contest was meant to be anonymous! There's no way they could actually identify who called in!" Roxanne whispered. "They didn't even ask for a name when I phoned, anyway!"

Trixie and Kiki turned to Roxanne, who was alternating between looking very pale and worried, and very flushed and awkward with rapid succession.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please give your warmest welcome to our first guest," Jacqueline announced. "He's the son of King Muscle, a member of the Muscle League, a winning champion of the IWF, he is the one, the only, Kid Muscle!"

The audience applauded warmly in anticipation of Kid's arrival. Jacqueline herself turned on her stool to face the side of the stage the television monitor stood at, lightly clapping her hands together and smiling falsely as she awaited Kid's entrance.

The applause for Kid began to dwindle when Kid failed to appear, but as Jacqueline herself stopped clapping, Kid suddenly ran out onto the stage, stopping at the stool by Jacqueline's side, holding his arms straight out at his sides, grinning through the single red rose he had lodged between his jaws.

Jacqueline recoiled away from Kid, eying him in disgust. The audience were divided between laughing at Kid and muttering insults towards him. In keeping with his track record for dressing terribly and inappropriately for every big occasion he attended, Kid was dressed in a sky blue tuxedo decorated with deep blue elephants, a bright yellow frilly silk shirt, a lurid over-sized scarlet bowtie, a pair of knitted pink socks that were easily visible as his trouser legs were a good three inches too short, and finally, he wore a pair of PVC brown dress shoes on his feet, complete with a small heel on them that clicked with every step he took.

"Good afternoon, Jacqueline!" Kid said mechanically, pulling the rose from his jaws and holding it out towards Jacqueline.

"Good afternoon, Kid," she tightly replied, gingerly accepting the proffered flower between her thumb and forefinger.

"I'm so happy to be here today," Kid said, his voice still loud, slow and forced. "Jacqueline, you look radiation today."

Jacqueline growled to herself, rolling her eyes in frustration.

"Radiant!" she hissed. "It says radiant!"

"Radiant?" Kid echoed loudly. "But that's not even a real word!"

"Yes it is!" Jacqueline growled.

"It is?" Kid asked, looking genuinely shocked. "Wow! So what does it mean?"

"It means beautiful!" Jacqueline whispered. "Now stop wasting time! Just go back to reading your autocue like we practised!"

"Oh, okay."

Kid turned back to the monitor hanging down in front of the stage, high above the heads of the audience. He squinted at the screen, scanning through it to find the point where he had left off.

"Jacqueline, you look radiant today," he recovered, flashing a quick grin at Jacqueline. "Jacqueline why thank you, Kid. Am I even prettier than your girlfriend Roxanne? Kid oh, of course, Jacqueline!"

"Stop it!" Jacqueline screamed, standing up.

Kid instantly fell silent, as did all the production crew and even the entire audience.

"Just sit down, Kid," she snarled through tightly clenched teeth.

Kid nodded his head, cautiously sitting down into the stool next to Jacqueline's. Jacqueline sighed, flicking her hair over one shoulder, and sat back down onto her own stool.

"Kid Muscle," she began patiently. "Do you remember your match with Nightmare and DMP member Checkmate?"

"Well, yeah!" Kid replied, ignoring the autocue screen. "It was awful!"

"Yes," Jacqueline tightly replied. "But do you remember what motivated you to fight Checkmate in the first place? Do you remember how, despite your initial fear of Checkmate and the Nightmares, you found the courage to take on this impressive opponent?"

"Well, Terry won the popularity contest, which was totally unfair. He had just beaten Tyrannoclaw, and all the girls were like "oh, we love a winner", and I only got one vote, so I decided to I had to fight, because if I didn't fight, and if I didn't win, I wouldn't be the most popular with the girls."

"And Kid, do you know who it was that gave you that one vote?"

"No, but I think it might have been Dorothy Tusket. She's always sorta had a little thing for me."

A giant salmon flew through the audience and onto the stage, smacking into the side of Kid's head.

"Ow!" he yelped, turning towards the audience as he rubbed at the slimy mark where the fish had collided with his head.

As Kid scanned the audience for the culprit of his attack, a stagehand hurried onto the stage and snatched up the fish before hurrying off again.

"No Kid, the person who voted for you was not Dorothy Tusket," Jacqueline said, trying to ignore what had just happened.

"Well, um…" Kid began, casting one last glance across the sea of darkened faces in the audience before turning back to Jacqueline. "If it wasn't Dorothy, I guess it was probably one of the guys. In fact, it was probably Meat. He probably did it to make me fight Checkmate. He knew that getting one vote was worse than getting none. I mean, if I'd gotten no votes at all, I would have just thought that maybe the computer had messed up, and my name wasn't on the list for the girls to vote for, but since I got one vote, I know that my name was there, and just no-one wanted to vote for me."

"But, Kid Muscle, someone did vote for you," Jacqueline said firmly. "And that person was not Dorothy Tusket, and it was not your manager Meat, either. In fact, the person who did vote for you was–"

"Was it my mom?" Kid asked suddenly. "Aw man, that is so… I am such a loser! If only my mom voted for me, that makes me such a dork!"

"It was not your mother, Kid Muscle!" Jacqueline yelled, all traces of professionalism and forced patience gone from her voice. "It was Roxanne Nikaidou!"

"What?" Kid yelped.

"Aw, man!" Roxanne groaned, burying her face into her hands.

"It was you?" Trixie gasped.

"I knew it was you, Roxanne!" Kiki added.

"Roxanne voted for me?" Kid asked. "But Roxanne hated me back then!"

"No, Kid, she loved you back then," Jacqueline corrected him. "And she always has loved you, hasn't she, Kid?"

"Well, she did agree to marry me," Kid replied.

"That's right, Roxanne Nikaidou agreed to marry you, didn't she?"

"Yeah. But that was three years ago!"

"And a lot has happened in those three years, hasn't it Kid? That quaint little love story has turned sour, hasn't it, Kid? Boy met girl, boy fell in love with girl, girl fell in love with boy, boy lost girl, girl fell in love with another boy, and now boy is trying to win girl back."

"Uh-huh…"

Jacqueline paused as she caught Kid staring blankly at her, looking suddenly brain-dead.

"Isn't that right, Kid?" she tried.

"What?" he echoed. "You lost me when you started talking about the dude called Boy and the girl called Girl."

Jacqueline balled her hands into fists, squeezing tighter and tighter until her fingernails began to eat into the skin on the palms of her hands.

"Kid, that story was about you and Roxanne," she calmly explained. "Here, let me tell it again in a way that maybe even someone as dumb as you can understand it. You met Roxanne, you fell in love with Roxanne, Roxanne fell in love with you, you lost Roxanne, Roxanne fell in love with Jaeger, and now you are trying to win Roxanne back. Right?"

"No," Kid said, shaking his head.

"What? What do you mean "no"?"

"Well, yeah I met Roxanne, and I fell in love with Roxanne, and Roxanne fell in love with me, and then I lost Roxanne, and then Roxanne fell in love with Jaeger, but I'm not trying to win Roxanne back! She came back to me anyway."

"She came back to you anyway?"

"Yeah!"

"I see. So what you're saying is that Roxanne Nikaidou came crawling back to you when you beat Jaeger? Girls always prefer a winner of course. Even girls like Roxanne."

"Yeah, that's right. She was with Jaeger until I beat him, and then she came back to me."

"What the…?" Roxanne yelped.

"Sh Roxanne! Kid and Jacqueline don't know we're here!" Trixie hissed.

"I never went crawling back to him!" Roxanne squeaked. "I didn't just go back to him because he beat Jaeger! I went back to him because I love him! I only went with Jaeger to make him jealous, and because I was hoping it would be enough to make him stand up to his father and marry me!"

"Roxanne, you know Kid always puts his foot in his mouth!" Kiki whispered. "It's one of his worst, and sometimes one his most endearing qualities! You always said it was so cute before, the way he always messes things up by saying exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong moment."

"But he just made sound like I'm…"

"Cheap and easy," Jacqueline said firmly. "Those were the words used to describe your labour, Kid Muscle. You were cheap to buy, and easy to manage. Your cowardly behaviour has become your trademark trait. As much as you want to win the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown, as much as you want to be able to marry your sweetheart, before any of that can happen, you have to first overcome two of what will be your toughest opponents ever. Before you can be crowned as champion of the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown, you will have to fight and defeat Mars, and either Comrade Turbinski or Kevin Mask. How do you feel about facing these opponents, Kid Muscle?"

"Well," Kid began slowly. "I've beaten Mars before, and I know he can't beat my Muscle Millennium. No-one can beat my Muscle Millennium. And since Mars and Kevin Mask keep beating each other up all the time, I think Mars will be weak when I fight him, anyway."

"It's true Kid, you have beaten Mars in the past," Jacqueline said, reading her autocue and pretty much ignoring Kid's answer. "But do you remember why you fought Mars the last time around?"

"Well, yeah it was cause–"

"Mars was a member of Generation Ex, a group of four wrestlers sent from the Hercules Factory to replace you and your three friends, Terry Kenyon, Wally Tusket and Dik Dik Van Dik. In a three round elimination tournament, you fought your way to the final round, where, after one of the longest matches in IWF history, you defeated Mars in what some call a tainted victory."

"A painted victory?"

"A tainted victory, you idiot! It means you didn't beat him fair and square, alright?"

"But I did! Everyone saw it! Look!"

On the monitor behind Kid, an archive video was showing the final moments of Kid's victory over Mars on a continuous loop, replaying the ring ropes sinking into Mars's face over and over.

"Mars was distracted in his match against you, Kid Muscle," Jacqueline read on, ignoring both the replay and Kid. "He was distracted by Kevin Mask, and by a girl in the audience. It had often been said that girls can be a distraction to a Chojin, and even your own manager, Meat, has said as much himself. What's your opinion on the matter, Kid? Do you see Roxanne Nikaidou as a distraction to your career? Is she the help she claims to be, giving you motivation to fight on, or is she just a hindrance, dragging you down, distracting you?"

"I don't think girls are a distraction," Kid replied. "If it wasn't for the girls, I never would have stayed here on Earth!"

"Your father, King Muscle, has made it clear to you that he thinks Roxanne isn't good enough to marry his son, you, the future king of Muscle Planet, and yet still you pursue her affections. If you fail to win the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown, what will become of your relationship with Roxanne then?"

"If I don't win the Chojin Crown?"

"The Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown."

"If I don't win, my dad won't ever let me marry Roxanne. And Roxanne would probably kill me."

"On that subject, Kid, Roxanne has become famous for her violence and viciously short temper. Let's take a look at some examples of just what sort of girl Roxanne Nikaidou really is."

Jacqueline and Kid turned to the monitor in the back corner of the stage, watching as soundless images of Roxanne at past IWF events were played. Roxanne turned whiter and whiter with every new piece of footage that appeared on the screen, and even Trixie began to shrink back at what she saw.

"This is so unfair," Roxanne whispered. "I'm not even getting angry in most of those shots! I'm just cheering for Kid! Anyone who can lip-read can tell I'm not saying anything bad! Heck, anyone who can't lip-read can see I'm only chanting "Kid Muscle". Surely there are laws against them doing this to me?"

"Well there you have it, fans," Jacqueline said, turning back to the audience as the monitor froze on a shot of Roxanne yelling and waving her fists at Kid, who was cowering back from her. "Violent, bad-tempered, low class, impoverished and bad-mannered, is Roxanne really worth fighting for?"

"I love Roxanne!" Kid argued back.

"But does she love you, Kid Muscle?" Jacqueline asked. "Take a look at this, and listen carefully to what Roxanne has to say about you, Kid Muscle."

Jacqueline and Kid turned back to the monitor, and Roxanne slid off her chair, dropping to her knees on the floor below, curling her arms over the back of her head.

"Why are you doing the "drop and cover" routine?" Trixie asked her. "They didn't just announce that the bomb's about to go off!"

"Yes they did," Kiki said, pointing at the stage. "Look!"

Trixie turned to the monitor, her eyes widening as she saw a video of Kid's match against Bone Cold in the Ultimate Muscle Challenge being replayed. The video was initially focussing on the action inside the ring, and the only voices to be heard were those of Doc Nakano and Mac Metaphor as the two colour commentators called the match; but then the shot shifted to a camera that hung over the audience.

"Look at this, Mac, it's Kid Muscle's father, Muscle League Legend King Muscle, and Kid Muscle's former girlfriend, Roxanne," Doc said.

"And Doc, they appear to be talking about something very interesting," Mac replied. "Let's listen in!"

Doc and Mac fell silent, and the microphones around the camera began to pick up the heated exchange that was passing between King Muscle and Roxanne.

"–nerve to come here in the first place!" King Muscle yelled.

"I'm got a nerve?" Roxanne echoed. "You can talk! Where were you when Kid was fighting Generation Ex, huh? Where were you when your son was risking losing his place on planet Earth, his place in the IWF? He needed your support, and where were you? Probably off watching some porno somewhere with your pervert old man!"

"How dare you accuse me of such things?" King Muscle bellowed. "I couldn't make it to the Generation Ex tournament because I had prior commitments!"

"Prior commitments my ass!"

"I was a judge for the Miss Muscle competition on Planet Muscle!"

"I rest my case! You're nothing but a filthy old man!"

"You know calling me names won't make me like you any better!"

"I don't want you to like me! I want you to hate me! I want you to hate me as much as I hate you!"

"You're not even interested in my son! You're only dating him because your mother wanted you to!"

"What?"

"She's still jealous because she lost me to Belinda, and she is using you to get back at me through my own son! If I let you marry Mantaro, I am letting her win!"

"Your son is an ignorant, garlic-reeking pig-boy! What makes you think I would want to marry him–"

The video stopped suddenly, the screen frozen on the image of Roxanne yelling at King Muscle. Jacqueline slowly turned back to the camera, smiling sweetly as she flicked her hair off one shoulder with the back of her hand.

"Roxanne called you "an ignorant, garlic-reeking pig-boy", Kid Muscle," she said, speaking into the camera. "And she said to your own father, King Muscle "what makes you think I would want to marry him?" I think that tells us what she really thinks about you, Kid."

Jacqueline turned her sickeningly sweet smile to Kid, who was still gaping at the monitor.

"Kid?" Jacqueline pressed.

""Garlic-reeking"?" Kid wailed.

"That's right, Kid."

"This is so unfair!" Trixie hissed. "She's eating away at Kid's motivation to win! At this rate, Kid's gonna quit, and then he'll never marry Roxanne!"

"It sure does look bad," Kiki agreed. "But I'm sure things will–"

"Don't you dare say things will work out just fine!" Trixie snapped. "Damn it! Kid Muscle will marry Roxanne! I won't give up on this one!"

"Why?" Kiki asked, frowning at Trixie.

Trixie ignored Kiki's last question, continuing instead to fester in her own anger.

"And so there you have it, fight fans," Jacqueline said to the camera. "Kid Muscle, fighting for love. Will he be the first ever Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown Champion? Will Roxanne marry him if he wins? Will she leave him if he doesn't? Remember fans, there's only one way to find the answer this, and all your other questions: you'll have to stay tuned to the remaining matches of the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown. Tickets for both semi final matches have now sold out, but it's not too late to order the special, live broadcast of both matches, with exclusive behind the scenes interviews on pay-per-view! Can you afford to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity? Ordering details are being displayed on screen now, and for those in the audience today, details for ordering can be found on the back of your tickets. We'll be taking a short commercial break for now, but stay tuned, because when we come back, I will be talking to Kevin Mask."

The audience applauded as the stage lights dimmed and Jacqueline got to her feet, holding out a hand towards Kid. Kid dumbly shook her hand, causing her to frown at him contemptuously. He was oblivious to her reaction however, as he was looking around the audience, looking for his friends or family. When he failed to locate a familiar face, Kid released Jacqueline's hand and slowly walked off the stage, dragging his feet as he went.

"That was awful!" Roxanne wailed, pulling herself back into her seat.

"Don't worry about it, Roxanne," Trixie assured her. "I'll sort this out, I promise!"

"Thanks Trixie, but what's the point?" Roxanne sighed. "My mom was right. If King Muscle won't let Kid marry me without him winning the tournament, what difference will it make if he does?"

"King Muscle will have a lot more respect for Kid if he wins the tournament!" Trixie replied. "You just have to have faith in Kid that he can do this!"

"I guess…"

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go get us something to eat, I'll be back soon," Kiki offered, standing from her seat.

"Don't be too long!" Trixie called after her. "You wouldn't wanna miss Kevvy!"

"Yeah, whatever!" Kiki drawled, walking on.

* * *

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, wrestling fans the world over, and welcome back to _Love, Honour and Redemption_, the pre-semi-final show for the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown, where I, Jacqueline McMadd, have been talking with three of our remaining four contestants about their thoughts and feelings about their upcoming matches. We've just heard from Kid Muscle, who is fighting for Love, and now let's hear from Kevin Mask, who is fighting for Honour." 

Jacqueline held out one hand to her right side, gesturing towards the large television screen at the back corner of the stage. A picture of Kevin Mask appeared on the screen; more particularly, it was the picture that had been used for Kevin's cardboard cut-out display that appeared in all the IWF gift shops alongside the bin full of _Kevin Mask – The Reason_ books.

"Kevin Mask first made his debut with the IWF four years ago," Jacqueline continued.

"Hey guys, sorry I took so long!" Kiki whispered, sitting back down with a tray of food. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not really," Trixie dryly replied. "Just Jackie getting more make-up layered onto her face."

Kiki slowly nodded her head, turning back to the stage as Roxanne and Trixie helped themselves to a share of the contents of the food tray.

"Kevin Mask appeared as the ringleader of a band of thugs from none other than the DMP," Jacqueline said. "The eldest son of Robin Mask rebelled against his Muscle League father by joining the Demon Making Plant, where he teamed up with Dial Bolic and The Pumpinator to issue a challenge to the newest graduates of the Hercules Factory, including the son of King Muscle, Kid Muscle."

The screen behind Jacqueline began showing a slideshow of shots of Kevin Mask, Dial Bolic and The Pumpinator when they had first appeared in the IWF and sabotaged a tag team match to get the attention of the IWF and the new generation Muscle Leaguers.

"After watching the diabolical behaviour of his cohorts, Kevin Mask tore up his DMP shirt and swore to fight for honour, without the DMP," Jacqueline continued. "Kid Muscle offered Kevin the chance to join the Muscle League there and then, and who could forget the ruthless manner in which Kevin Mask rejected Kid Muscle's offer?"

The monitor replayed the video footage from the end of Kid's match against The Pumpinator, showing Kevin Mask ripping up his DMP T-shirt. Kid Muscle grabbed one of his homemade T-shirts from his bag and flung it at Kevin, who opened out his hands and allowed it to fall to the ground at his feet. Despite the fact that Kevin's famous rejection of the Muscle League had happened almost four years ago, and the moment had been replayed more often than any other in IWF history, the audience still gasped as the shirt floated to the ground, and Kevin turned his back on it.

"After walking out that day, Kevin Mask wasn't seen or heard from again until the Generation Ex tournament, when he surfaced to tell us all the truth about Generation Ex member Eskara," Jacqueline said, as the monitor behind her began reeling off shots of Kevin in attendance at the various matches of the Generation Ex tournament. "To save the Muscle League from the evil of DMP member Eskara – real name Mars – Kevin shamed himself by revealing his own weakness, his own dishonourable act, to us all. Kevin disappeared shortly after the shame of his secret was out, but has since returned to aid the Muscle League in their fight against the Poison Six Pack, and to compete in the ongoing Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please put your hands together and give a very warm welcome to the sexy British knight, the man who is so hot he can turn a pool into a sauna, he is the one, the only, Kevin Mask!"

Kevin walked out onto the stage to a standing ovation, looking less than impressed with his surroundings. Unlike Kid Muscle, Kevin had made no effort to dress for the occasion. Kevin was dressed in big black boots, a pair of worn black jeans, a black T-shirt and his trademark long coat and gloves.

In one hand, Kevin was loosely holding a single red rose by the stem. Kevin walked up to the stool Kid had been sat in earlier, running his eyes over Jacqueline before throwing the rose at her and then dragging the stool back to put some distance between it and Jacqueline. Jacqueline caught the flower awkwardly at her chest, eying Kevin angrily. Once Kevin was satisfied that the stool in his hand was far enough away from the youngest McMadd, he sat into it, folding his arms and watching the hostess expectantly.

"Kevin," Jacqueline began slowly, dropping the rose to the stage floor as the audience sat back down, their cheers subsiding. "Welcome to the show."

Jacqueline paused, obviously still floundering from Kevin's rejection and his display of displeasure.

"Kevin, after Kid Muscle defeated both of your DMP teammates, Dial Bolic and The Pumpinator, Kid offered you the chance to join the Muscle League," she recovered. "He gave you one of his–"

"Yes," Kevin interrupted her.

Jacqueline paused, frowning at Kevin, and then scanning through the autocue display, checking the rest of her question against what Kevin's response should have been.

"You didn't let me finish," she said, when she realised that her question had not been the sort of question "yes" could be a sensible answer to.

"No," Kevin replied.

"Well, I was going to ask you why–"

"Yes."

Jacqueline stopped again, her eye twitching involuntarily as she scowled at Kevin.

"Alright then, let's move on, shall we?" she said tightly. "After that, you disappeared for a while. Where did you go, and what did you do?"

"Yes," Kevin blankly replied.

Jacqueline waited for him to expand on his answer, and when he did not, her entire head twitched nervously.

"Yes, you disappeared," she pressed. "But where did you go and what did you do?"

"No," Kevin calmly replied.

Jacqueline growled quietly at Kevin, who turned fully towards her at the sound.

"No thank you," he added.

"Kevin, I didn't just offer you a cup of tea," Jacqueline growled at him in a low voice. "I asked you where you went after–"

"Yes," Kevin interrupted her.

"Yes?" Jacqueline echoed. "So what is you answer?"

Kevin stared back at Jacqueline in silence, his reaction angering her enough to cause her face to flush.

"Just remember, Kevin Mask, I own this tournament, and I have the power to kick you out of it here and now!" she quietly reminded him.

The audience booed Jacqueline's threat, causing her to twitch in irritation again.

"Yes," Kevin said once the crowd had settled down again, slowly nodding his head.

"Why don't we try something else," Jacqueline suggested. "How about you tell the fans how it felt when you were forced to tell the whole world about your cowardly act in the DMP? About how you traded your father's trust, your family's honour, just to save your own miserable life?"

"I don't really see what any of that has to do with the Ikeman Chojin Crown," Kevin plainly replied.

"It's the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown now. And you are meant to be fighting for honour," Jacqueline shot back. "How honourable was it to blab out daddy's biggest secret to the most dangerous man in the DMP?"

"It was no less honourable than it was for my father to have told me the secret in the first instance," Kevin replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"So you are saying what you did was honourable?"

"It certainly wasn't dishonourable."

"You are not the honest, honourable good guy you make yourself out to be, Kevin Mask! I know all about your dark little secret!"

"Yes, and thanks to Mars, so does everyone else."

"I'm not talking about that any more! I'm not talking about you betraying your father's secret to Mars. I'm talking about how you betrayed your mother's dying wish!"

Kevin sat perfectly still, staring, unblinkingly at Jacqueline.

"I'm talking about little E–"

"Enough!"

Kevin stood abruptly, the force and speed of his action knocking his stool over behind him.

"What's the matter, Kevin?" Jacqueline said sweetly. "Did you think Mars was the only one who knew about the skeletons in your closet?"

"Mars?" Kevin echoed, latching onto the one word Jacqueline had uttered that seemed to make any sense to him in his new fit of rage. "Mars told you? That son of a bitch, I swear to God I will kill him if it's the last thing I do!"

Kevin strode across the stage behind Jacqueline, turning on his heel as he reached the wings, pacing back to the side he had walked on from.

"Where is he?" he asked darkly. "Where is the bastard, I'll finish him off right now!"

Kevin smacked his right fist into his open left palm, heaving in short, sharp breaths of air as his eyes darted between the backstage area and Jacqueline.

"Kevin Mask, fighting for honour," Jacqueline said to the camera. "Kevin's first opponent will be Comrade Turbinski in tomorrow's Black Card match, and if he can defeat the Russian hero, Kevin will advance to the finals where he will face either my previous guest, Kid Muscle, the son of King Muscle, the long time arch rival of Kevin's own father, Sir Robin Mask, or Kevin will face Mars, his former DMP ally, who Kevin–"

"Where is he?" Kevin yelled, marching over to Jacqueline.

Lord Flash jogged onto the stage and grabbed at Kevin's arm, attempting to drag him back off the stage.

"I'll kill him!" Kevin shouted, tugging back as Lord Flash tried to pull him back.

Jacqueline smiled, letting out a little sigh before flicking her hair over one shoulder with her fingers.

"Mars, I know you're watching this, you arrogant arsehole!" Kevin roared, turning to the camera. "And let me just tell you this, scarface! You had better pray to every god that you know of that Kid Muscle defeats you at your match next week. Because if he doesn't, you'll have to fight me, and your fate will be exactly the same as my last opponent's. Just like how I killed Blox, I'll do the same to you! I will be crowned Champion of the Chojin Crown over your dead body!"

"Come now, Comrade – I mean Kevin," Lord Flash tried, pulling on Kevin's arm with both hands.

"And don't think that losing to Kid Muscle will make your future any safer," Kevin added, pointing a finger at the camera. "If you lose, I will hunt you down like the dog that you are and kill you anyway!"

"Kevin, come on!" Lord Flash insisted.

"Do you understand me, Mars? You are a dead man walking!"

Kevin threw his arm back, causing Lord Flash to stumble back from his side, colliding ungracefully with the large television at the back of the stage. Kevin marched off of the stage, leaving his bewildered trainer behind him, along with a delighted Jacqueline McMadd.

"Kevin Mask, ladies and gentlemen," Jacqueline said, turning to the camera. "And after this next short commercial break, I will be talking to Kevin's arch nemesis Mars. Stay tuned to hear Mars's side of the story."

Once more, the stage lights dimmed, and the audience applauded the end of the second third of the show.

"That was… Intense," Trixie said slowly.

"I'll say!" Roxanne agreed. "I wonder what Kevin's secret is?"

Roxanne and Trixie exchanged looks of curiosity, before both turning slowly towards Kiki, who had just taken a bite out of her burger.

"Whuh?" she asked through a mouthful of food, glancing between her two friends.

"Kevin Mask's secret?" Roxanne asked.

"What is it?" Trixie asked.

"I dunno!" Kiki replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Kiki chewed at her food, frowning at her friends. As she slowly swallowed over the contents of her mouth, her frown faded.

"Wait a minute, just because I spent one night with Kevin Mask, it doesn't mean I now know everything little thing about him!" she pointed out.

"You know what he looks like without his mask on." Trixie pointed out.

"She does?" Roxanne asked, turning to Trixie.

"Yeah," Trixie confirmed.

"So what does he look like?" Roxanne asked Trixie.

"What do think?" Trixie replied, shrugging her shoulders. "He looks like Nick Hasler."

"Oh, cool!"

Kiki rolled her eyes, taking another bite out of her burger.

"So you definitely don't know what Kevin's secret is?" Roxanne asked, turning back to Kiki.

"I swear, I have absolutely no idea what Kevin's secret is," Kiki assured them.

"I suppose that'll have to do," Roxanne sighed.

"We'll get it out of her later," Trixie whispered to Roxanne.

Kiki opened her mouth to protest, but when Roxanne and Trixie began giggling and whispering amongst themselves as they plotted how to extract Kevin's secret from her, Kiki shook her head and decided against arguing back. Instead she proceeded to finish off her burger, waiting patiently to hear what Mars had to say in his interview.

* * *

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, wrestling fans the world over, and welcome back to _Love, Honour and Redemption_, the pre-semi-final show for the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown, where I, Jacqueline McMadd, have been talking with three of our remaining four contestants about their thoughts and feelings about their upcoming matches. We've just heard from Kevin Mask, who is fighting for Honour, and before that, we heard from Kid Muscle, who is fighting for Love. And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's hear from Mars, who is fighting for Redemption." 

Jacqueline held out one hand to her right side, gesturing towards the large television screen at the back corner of the stage. A picture of Mars appeared on the screen; more particularly, it was the picture that had been used for Kevin's cardboard cut-out display that appeared in all the IWF gift shops alongside the bin full of _Mars – The Reason_ books.

"Mars first made his debut with the IWF three years ago, as part of the Muscle League faction known as Generation Ex, or Generation Excellent," Jacqueline continued. "Mars was the top of his class in all areas except for one: Mars had no desire the learn the rules, and he had no desire to obey them."

The television at the back of the stage began showing shots of Mars's three matches in the tournament, from his first round match against Terry Kenyon, through his semi-final match against Dik Dik Van Dik to his final match against Kid Muscle.

"Quickly making a name for himself as the IWF's resident bad boy, it was no surprise to most fans when they found out that Mars was in fact a Devil Chojin of the DMP, who had used a false identity to join the Hercules Factory training program to become a Justice Chojin and fight the son of King Muscle. Mars planned to take the Muscle League apart from the inside out, and rule as the supreme leader of the DMP in a reign of chaos. But Mars's plans did not work out, and not only because he underestimated Kid Muscle's secret weapon, the Power of Friendship. Mars was also side-tracked by his former DMP ally Kevin Mask, and an IWF groupie girl by the name of Giki."

Kiki spluttered on her soda, spraying some of it out through her teeth and choking on the rest as it rushed down her throat.

"Did she just call you "geeky"?" Trixie asked Kiki.

"I think she did," Roxanne confirmed. "The bitch."

Kiki continued to choke on her soda, narrowing her eyes at Jacqueline, who was still smiling sweetly at the camera. The stool Kevin Mask had knocked over in the previous segment had been replaced next to Jacqueline's during the commercial break in preparation for her final guest, who she was obviously looking forward to interviewing.

"Here today to talk to us about all those issues and more," Jacqueline continued. "Is the wrestler we know as Mars, a name he didn't get just for having that heavenly body. Ladies and gentlemen please give your warmest welcome to our third and final guest, Mars!"

Once again the audience stood to applaud Mars's entrance. Mars swaggered onto the stage, smirking at Jacqueline as he walked towards the stool that awaited him there. Again, like Kevin, Mars had not changed his dress style for the show; he was wearing his usual wrestling gear from head to toe. In one hand he held a single red rose, just like Kid and Kevin had done before him. Jacqueline held out a hand to take the rose from. Mars started to move the rose towards her outstretched hand, turning away from her as she tried to grab onto it, her fist closing around nothing more then thin air. Mars tossed the rose out over the audience before turning back to grin at Jacqueline.

"Mars, welcome to the show," Jacqueline said to Mars, forcing a tight-lipped smile as she tried to ignore his last action.

Mars sat down onto the stool, squinting up at the autocue monitor.

"Well it says up dere dat I gotta say: "it's great to be here, Jacqueline!" but I ain't lettin' nobody else put words in my mouth," Mars said frankly.

"You don't have to read the autocue, Mars," Jacqueline quietly replied. "And in fact, since neither of you predecessors bothered, why should you be any different?"

"Is dis live?" Mars asked, pointing at the camera aimed at him.

"Yes, Mars, this is live to the entire world!" Jacqueline replied, smiling sweetly at the camera and fluffing her hair with one hand.

Mars looked around himself as though looking for something that he expected to find on the ceiling. Jacqueline watched him curiously for a moment, before a flashing message on the autocue monitor reminded her that she was on live television, and she was creating dead air by allowing the show to continue in silence.

"Mars?" she said gently.

"What time is it?" he asked, turning to her.

"It's 2:40 in the afternoon, Mars," Jacqueline politely replied.

"It's 2:40 in da afternoon, and dis is live?" Mars confirmed, pointing at the camera again.

"Yes, Mars."

"Oh, okay."

Mars turned towards the camera, his golden eyes glinting mischievously as a flicker of a smirk passed over his lips.

"I take it we're not allowed to say fuck, den?" he asked, looking directly into the camera as he spoke.

The audience gasped in shock, and Jacqueline froze in terror, glancing around the technicians below the stage. They all waved frantically back at her to indicate that they had failed to predict Mars's use of a profanity, and so had failed to cut it out or cover it over.

"Mars, this is live daytime television," Jacqueline warned her guest. "Please, you have to mind you language!"

"So we can't say fuck?" Mars asked her.

"No, we can't!" Jacqueline snarled through tightly clenched teeth.

"Can we say shit?" Mars asked.

"No we cannot!" Jacqueline raged.

"How about bastard?"

"No!"

"Whore?"

"No!"

"Dat's funny, cause dressed like dat, you sure do look like one."

Jacqueline faltered, her mind taking a few seconds to register what Mars had just said, and then a few more to cool her face down as it turned red at the sight of Mars's smirking demeanour.

"Mars, we brought you here today to discuss the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown," Jacqueline eventually recovered.

"Oh, it's called da "Jacqueline McMadd" Chojin Crown now, huh?" Mars asked.

"Yes, that's right."

"Oh I guess dey had to rename it, huh?"

"Yes…"

"Cause before it was called da Ikeman Chojin Crown."

"Yes, but now it's called the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown, after me, Jacqueline McMadd."

"Well, I guess dat does make a lotta sense."

Jacqueline paused, the smirk on Mars's face making her suddenly suspicious of the direction the conversation was heading.

"Cause at first, Ikeman was da one tryin' to seduce us all," Mars continued. "But I guess now dat we only ever get offered your ass on a silver platter for winnin', it makes more sense to name da tournament after you, huh?"

"What?" Jacqueline squeaked.

"Well you did say you would give head to da winner, right?"

Jacqueline's jaw dropped, and for the first time in her life, she found herself utterly speechless.

"Oh wait, no, can we cut dat bit out?" Mars asked, snipping at the air with his fingers. "I can't say dat on live daytime television, huh? So what's da polite way to say Jackie here told me an' da boys she would suck off da winner?"

A silence fell over the entire arena again, and this time, the warnings flashing up on the autocue went entirely unnoticed by Jacqueline. Mars looked up at the autocue, frowning at what he read. He turned to the camera, looking serious for the first time since appearing on stage,

"Aw hey guys, you don't gotta go to a commercial!" he assured them. "I can be a good boy, I promise!"

Mars grinned widely, flashing his fangs at the camera.

"I just think dat dis whole show is a stupid idea," he explained. "But don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be in da Chojin Crown tournament, and I'm glad I've made it all da way to da semi finals. I hope I can win dis tournament, cause my future here at da IWF depends on me winnin' dis thing. I'm lookin' forward to fightin' Kid Muscle again, and I hope dat dis time, I can beat him. I also hope dat in da finals, I will be facin' Kevin Mask, cause I ain't never had da opportunity to prove myself against Mask in a legitimate wrestling match, and I wanna know if I got what it takes to defeat him in a one on one contest."

Mars turned to Jacqueline, who was still frozen on the spot, her eyes and mouth wide open in stunned shock.

"You got anything else you wanna ask me, sweetheart?" Mars asked her.

But still Jacqueline remained silent.

"Y'know, you ain't doin' your reputation any good sittin' dere like dat," Mars advised. "Here, let me help you out, sweetheart."

Mars pressed the tip of his finger against the underside of Jacqueline's chin and slowly pushed upwards, closing her jaws together.

"You got any more questions before I go?" he asked her again.

"Just one," Jacqueline growled, grabbing Mars hand and tugging it away from her chin.

"Shoot," Mars replied.

"How's the head?" Jacqueline asked, grinning darkly.

"Huh?" Mars echoed, frowning at her questioningly.

"I hope that last one didn't cut too deep, scarface," Jacqueline added, her grin widening.

"What the hell?" Mars yelled, standing up abruptly.

"Now, now, Marsy Baby, watch the language!" Jacqueline sneered.

"What, I can't even say hell now?" Mars echoed.

"No," Jacqueline smugly replied.

"Fine! If you won't let me express my anger wid my words, I'm gonna have to find other ways of doin' it!"

Mars grabbed up his stool and threw it through the television monitor at the back of the stage, before marching up to Jacqueline.

"Who told you?" he growled, towering over her.

Jacqueline cowered back underneath him, suddenly looking very frightened. She mumbled out a few incoherent words, causing Mars to draw his own conclusion on the situation.

"Damn you Mask!" he yelled.

Mars turned to the camera pointed at the stage, marching up to the edge of the stage to get closer to it.

"Hey Mask, get your sorry ass out here right now!" he yelled at the camera. "I know you're watchin' dis! I don't think I can wait to fight you in da ring!"

Mars watched the camera for a moment in the ensuing silence. When nothing happened and no-one said anything, Mars opened his mouth to continue his barrage of challenges; but before he could speak again, Kevin Mask leapt onto the stage, spearing Mars to the ground.

"And that's it for today's show, folks!" Jacqueline hurriedly said, leaping out of the way of the two grappling Chojins. "Don't forget to tune in for the two semi final matches, Kevin Mask versus Comrade Turbinski and Kid Muscle versus Mars!"

The cameras shut down and the stage lights dimmed. Jacqueline leapt off the stage and ran around the outer edge, disappearing into the backstage area as Kevin and Mars rolled over each other, clawing and punching at each other in a rabid frenzy. The IWF crew lowered the stage curtains in an attempt to hide the ensuing fight from the audience's view, but the hem of the curtains ended up landing right on top of Kevin's back, and as Mars pushed him over, the two rolled back out into full view of the fans in attendance.

Lord Flash and Jaeger ran onto the stage, each grabbing onto and pulling their own friend from the melee. Meat bravely ran out, leaping in between Kevin and Mars as Jaeger and Lord Flash managed to put some distance between the two. Lord Flash held Kevin's arms behind his back, suing all his strength to restrain his pupil. Jaeger took a different approach to restraining Mars, standing in front of Mars with his arms around Mars's waist, pushing into Mars's chest to stop him moving forwards.

"I thought you said you like them with dark hair," Kevin sneered, nodding his head at Jaeger.

"Huh?" Mars responded, looking down at Jaeger. "Hey, get offa me!"

Mars grabbed Jaeger's arms, wrenching them from his sides.

"Nein, Mars, you mustn't fight vith Kevin Mask now!" Jaeger pleaded. "It vill only make you veak for your match against Kid Muscle!"

Mars scowled at Kevin silently for a moment, before grabbing Jaeger's shoulder and shoving him one side to lean past him towards Kevin. Mars spat at Kevin, smirking to himself as his attack landed on Kevin's mask and hair.

"See ya around, squealer!" he said, turning his back on Kevin.

Mars sauntered off in the same direction Jacqueline had disappeared, leaping off the stage to walk around to the lower exit.

"Mars!" Kiki screamed, climbing up onto the seat in front of hers.

Mars disappeared through a doorway, and Kiki watched with wide, watery eyes as it banged shut behind him.

"Mars…" she whimpered.

"Come on, Kiki, I'm sure you'll get a chance to talk to him later," Trixie tried, taking a hold of Kiki's arm.

"You don't understand!" Kiki roared, yanking her arm out of Trixie grasp.

"Kiki?" Trixie whispered.

"Kiki, why don't you go for a walk to calm yourself down!" Roxanne said sternly, pointing an accusing finger at Kiki. "Trixie and I are going back to the hotel. Don't come back until you've calmed down, understand?"

"Whatever!" Kiki snorted, leaping off the chair and shoving her way along the row of people to exit the seating area.

"Wow!" Trixie gasped as Kiki disappeared from their sight.

"You weren't the one who had to watch her cry all through college," Roxanne replied, shaking her head. "You know Trixie, I really don't know if Mars coming back is a good or a bad thing for Kiki."

Trixie arched her eyebrows expectantly, but Roxanne did not expand on her statement.

"Come on, we should go," Roxanne said instead. "I know it's not until tomorrow, but we've got a lot of planning to do before the semi finals start."

"Right…" Trixie said slowly.

Roxanne started to leave, leaving Trixie behind her. Trixie turned towards the stage, where Lord Flash and Kevin were finally leaving. The first semi final match was Kevin Mask against Comrade Turbinski, and then two days later, Kid Muscle would be fighting Mars.

"Oh…" Trixie said aloud, as the realisation of the situation occurred to her. "It's Roxanne or Kiki," she mused. "Again…"

* * *

**  
Next Chapter:** The semi-finals begin with Kevin Mask versus Comrade Turbinski in a specially themed match. Kevin, who is tired of the McMadds, Mars, Kid Muscle and his father, unleashes the darker side of his character (and Lucretia uses a cheesy definition of the OLAP acronym to name the chapter). **Chapter 25 – Old Lesson About Pain**. 


	26. Old Lesson About Pain

**A/N:** This is essentially a filler chapter, since it is mostly just a regurgitation of the episode in the anime where Kevin Mask takes on Comrade Turbinski.

**Recap:** Jacqueline created even more tension amongst the remaining contestants in the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown when she tried to convince Kid that Roxanne does not really love him, she made Kevin believe his old ally Mars had betrayed Kevin's darkest secret to the McMadds and she let Mars believe that Kevin had revealed one of Mars's secrets to her.

* * *

**Chapter 25 – Old Lesson About Pain**

"Wow!" Trixie shouted, throwing her head back to look up at the Sky Cube high above them.

"This has to be Jacqueline McMadd's dumbest idea for a match yet," Roxanne said, tilting her head to one side to look up at the ring from the corners of her eyes.

"What, even dumber than "Panties on a Pole"?" Dik Dik teased.

"Shut it, Bambi!" Roxanne snapped.

"You told the girls too?" Dik Dik wailed, turning to his friends.

"Maybe," Kid said innocently.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, behold, the Sky Cube!" Jacqueline announced dramatically. "The rules for fighting on this unique platform are simple: the wrestlers can wrestle on any surface – the top or any of the four sides – but in order to be declared the winner, one wrestler must throw his opponent off the side of the ring, down the one thousand feet drop to the ground!"

The audience "ooh"ed and "ah"ed at this revelation, but Kid Muscle took it a little more to heart.

"Fighting on the sides of the Sky Cube is impossible!" he pointed out. "The laws of physics say that if Kevin and Turbinski try to fight in any ring other than the one on the very top, they'll fall to their deaths! I can't fight on that thing! What about my adoring wife and five handsome children? What would become of them if something were to happen to me?"

"She hasn't married you yet, Kid, she's not your wife," Jacqueline sneered, indicating Roxanne as she spoke. "And you won't be fighting on the Sky Cube. Only Kevin and Turbinski will be, and I don't hear either of them complaining!"

Kid turned to watch Comrade Turbinski and Kevin Mask ready themselves to ascend the Sky Cube. As he watched them, he briefly wondered what would happen if they were to both fall off the ring and plunged to an untimely end. That would mean that they would both lose the match, which would mean that all Kid would need to do to win the Chojin Crown would be to beat Mars, who he had already beaten once before.

Kid grinned to himself at this idea, stifling laughter. The effort he used to contain his laughter caused him to let loose a loud and noxious fart, but Kid failed to notice the wave of nausea he spread over those around him as he was still too preoccupied by his own devious scheming.

Kevin climbed up the ladder to the Sky Cube, closely followed by his mentor, Lord Flash. Turbinski took the opportunity to show off his flying skills, and took the form of a Spitfire, soaring up to his destination with ease.

Once Kevin was inside the ring, he waited by the ropes for Lord Flash to join him on the ring apron.

"Give me my father's armour, Lord Flash," he ordered.

"Certainly, Comrade – I mean Kevin," Lord Flash replied.

"Lord Flash, don't think I haven't noticed your consistent slips of the tongue and the unavoidable fact that you fail to raise your pinky finger when drinking your tea," Kevin said darkly as Lord Flash placed Kevin's armour over his head. "Lord Flash, I have known for some time now that you are no Englishman. I only hope the fact that share Comrade Turbinski's Russian heritage won't cause you to betray me in this match."

"Fear not, Kevin, I will always be in your corner," Lord Flash replied, before stepping back down the ladder.

Jacqueline watched Lord Flash climb down, her eyes thinning to emerald slits, the whites of her knuckles showing as she gripped onto the gavel in her right hand.

"Sister?" Ikeman sighed, looking up at her.

Catching the malicious expression on Jacqueline's face, Ikeman began to frown. He slowly turned in the direction she appeared to aiming her glower, more than a little taken aback to find she was apparently irked by Kevin Mask's trainer.

"Jackie, you have to ring the bell to start the match," he said, watching his sister carefully as he spoke.

"Yeah, right…" she said vaguely, turning towards the ring bell.

Jacqueline hit the gavel against the bell to start the match, sat down, and then turned her attention back to Lord Flash. Ikeman wanted to ask her why she was seemingly trying to kill Lord Flash with the power of telekinesis; but the agitated way she was drumming her flawless fingernails against the table in front of them frightened Ikeman into silence.

With a nervous gulp, Ikeman turned his attention to the ring above their heads, watching as Kevin Mask began laying into his opponent, Comrade Turbinski, driving the Russian back into the ropes.

"You better pay attention to this one, Kid!" Meat barked, slapping Kid Muscle over the back of the head.

"Ow!" Kid complained, rubbing at his head.

"Kevin Mask has been sharpenin' his skills in every match he's had," Meat continued. "And if he wins this one, he'll be your next opponent after Mars. This is your last chance to study his style before you fight him, Kid!"

"Okay, but there's no need to hit me like that!" Kid whimpered, looking up at the fight far above them.

"I reckon y'all oughta keep an eye on Lord Flash over there," Terry advised Kid and Meat. "He's still hidin' his true identity under that there mask and armour he's wearin', and I don't trust him one bit!"

Kid peered curiously over at Lord Flash, but Meat grabbed Kid's head and turned it back around to face the ongoing fight. Turbinski was falling through the air towards the mat of the uppermost ring, where Kevin Mask was awaiting him. Turbinski's fall came to an abrupt yet smooth halt in the instant before the top of his head collided with the mat, and he slowly rotated himself in midair, turning himself upright, and then landing softly on his feet.

Kevin Mask lunged at Turbinski, grabbing him and hauling him back in a suplex; but again Turbinski halted his descent, twisting the manoeuvre around to drop Kevin to the mat with a piledriver. Kevin rolled over and stood in one fluid movement, charging at Turbinski, who was standing near the ropes at one side of the ring. With a powerful clothesline, Kevin spun Turbinski over the top rope and out of the ring, stepping back and watching as his opponent began to fall down the side of the Sky Cube.

Halfway down the sideways wrestling ring, Turbinski once more drew to a halt, righting himself midair with a soft chuckle. Kevin gasped, but quickly covered his shock with a menacing growl.

"That Turbinski fella is up to somethin'," Terry said thoughtfully.

"Oh yeah?" Trixie asked, looking up at him.

"Heck yeah!" Terry agreed. "I can't even do those sorta fancy moves in ma pappy's crop-duster!"

Roxanne and Kiki turned to each other, sweatdropping simultaneously at Terry's redundant analogy.

"He must have strings tied to him!" Kid yelled, leaping to his feet and pointing up at Turbinski. "Kevin! Get some scissors!"

"Strings?" Trixie echoed, her face twisting.

"Vhen I learned zhis match vould be held on ze Sky Cube, I came up vith my own unique strategy," Turbinski explained as he looked up the surface of the side-on wrestling ring at Kevin, who was leaning over the ropes of the top ring. "I have included in my arsenal an Antigravity Fulcrum Thruster, zhat allows me to break ze laws of gravity, making fighting in zhis environment so much easier!"

Turbinski shot upwards towards Kevin, backdropping him onto the side ring mat.

"Hey, if Kevin catches Comrade Turbinski as he falls and takes the Comrade with him, both Kevin Mask and Comrade Turbinski will lose this here match!" Terry pointed out.

"They both lose?" Kid echoed, grinning in delight. "That means I'm one step closer to victory!"

However, Kevin did not catch Comrade Turbinski. Instead, he fell downwards, his arms swinging around at his sides in a desperate attempt to grab onto something before he fell beyond the end of the Sky Cube. The audience gasped, and those of a weaker disposition averted their eyes as Kevin began to fall beyond the lower set of rings ropes.

Kevin's arms were still flailing about in a last ditch attempt to grab onto anything that he could; and luckily for Kevin, he managed to grab the top rope with one hand. The rope sagged downwards with the weight of Kevin's body as he hung from it by one hand. The audience "ooh"ed and applauded appreciatively for Kevin's display of skill; or his display of sheer luck, depending upon which way one looked at it.

"At least I can always depend upon one person," Kevin told himself, as he tightened his grip on the rope. "Namely myself."

Kevin then yanked at the rope, propelling himself towards Turbinski, who was standing on the side-on ring mat. Kevin crashed into Turbinski full force, knocking him from his feet. The two Chojins flew up above the top of the Sky Cube, where Kevin then let go of Turbinski, hurling himself over the top ring before he began his descent.

Kevin landed on his feet with a small sigh of relief to be upright once more and standing with his feet on solid ground. Kevin then watched on in suppressed anger as Comrade Turbinski slowly lowered himself to the mat, once again using his Antigravity Fulcrum Thruster to control his landing. Turbinski smiled smugly at Kevin, who growled in frustration, and then launched himself at the Russian, pummelling him with a series of rapid fists to the head.

"Now this is more what a real wrestling match should be all about!" Jacqueline declared, standing up from her seat with a sly, satisfied grin on her face. "Carnage, violence, destruction – everything a girl could possibly want!"

Ikeman eyed his sister over, before shaking his head at her and returning his attention to the ring, where Comrade Turbinski was breaking out of the hold Kevin had him in by transforming his arms into the wings of a Spitfire.

"Y'know Terry, I think you had a point about Lord Flash hidin' his identity and lyin' to everyone," Meat said thoughtfully. "This new animosity between Lord Flash and Kevin Mask could end up bein' Kevin's downfall in this match!"

Roxanne and Trixie gasped, turning to Meat with wide eyes of concern for Kevin.

"I think you might be right, Meat," Kiki said solemnly, her eyes still locked on the action above them.

Above their heads, Turbinski had fully transformed into his Spitfire form, and was charging Kevin with his spinning blades. Kevin leapt up to counter the attack, grabbing onto Turbinski and setting him up for Kevin's signature move, the Big Ben Bash. As they fell towards the mat together, Turbinski quickly transformed back into his everyday, humanoid form, shifting their position midair to invert the attack. As a result of his manoeuvring, Turbinski was able to use Kevin's Big Ben Bash against him, driving the Brit into the canvas headfirst.

Thanks to the spike on top of Kevin's helmet piercing through the ring mat, Kevin's body acted like a spear, and his entire head was driven through the canvas. As Turbinski got to his feet, Kevin hurriedly dislodged himself from the trap, only to be knocked onto his back as Turbinski met him with a spinning roundhouse kick to the temple.

As Kevin rolled around on the mat, clutching at his head, Turbinski leapt up into the air, transforming into the form of a Warhawk Helicopter and aiming himself for Kevin. Unaware of Turbinski's latest move, Kevin got to his feet, staggering around a little, one hand still held to his head. Just as Kevin regained his balance, Turbinski's helicopter form crashed into the small of Kevin's back, nose first.

Kevin fell to the mat, landing facedown. Comrade Turbinski continued to push into Kevin's back, the blades on top of his helicopter form whipping closer and closer to the back of Kevin's neck.

"Isn't this fabulous?" Jacqueline asked, planting one hand on her hip. "I just love it! It's painful and it's creating the most gorgeous cool breeze!"

Jacqueline closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards, basking in the draft of cool air flooding down to them from the top of the Sky Cube.

"Can you believe her?" Trixie grumbled.

"I know she is such a bitch!" Roxanne hissed.

"She is still wearing the same outfit she was wearing the first day I ever saw her, at Kid's pre-qualifier match against that El Nino guy!" Trixie groaned.

Roxanne started to point out to Trixie that Jacqueline could be accused of crimes far worse than simply wearing the same outfit day after day, but since Trixie was still muttering to herself about what a fashion disaster Jacqueline was, Roxanne stopped herself and returned her attention to the match at hand.

Comrade Turbinski suplexed Kevin around each of the five ring surfaces in turn, never letting up his assault and allowing no scope for Kevin to escape him or fight back. Once he had battered Kevin on each of the five surfaces, Turbinski tossed Kevin towards the floor in an attempt to end the match there and then. As he fell, Kevin's foot caught on the mat, tearing a line down it, slowing his descent to an eventual halt, leaving Kevin hanging by his toes, which were precariously snagged in the tear he had created in the canvas.

"Don't vorry, Kevin!" Turbinski called to him. "Once you drop, your lying trainer vill break your fall just like ze vay he broke your trust!"

"Is that what you think?" Kevin called back.

"Fool!" Lord Flash yelled up to Turbinski. "The calibre of trust we have can never be broken!"

"I may not know Lord Flash like I thought I did, but I still know him well enough to consider him my trainer," Kevin continued. "I know him well enough to consider him my partner."

"Kevin Mask, you know not how much I have been yearning to hear you say those very words!" Lord Flash cried triumphantly. "We are back!"

"I'm pleased to hear it, Lord Flash," Kevin called back. "After all, we trained as a team, and so it is only fitting that we win as one too!"

Comrade Turbinski began to charge Kevin, and Lord Flash quickly yelled out instructions to his pupil on how to avoid the pending attack.

"I guess I was wrong," Meat muttered. "For now, at least. But I still think there's somethin' fishy about that Lord Flash. He reminds me of a Chojin warrior I once knew…"

Lord Flash turned his head sharply, narrowing his glowing green eyes at Meat in a menacing fashion. Meat held his stare, trying his best to figure out where it was that he had seen those eyes before.

Meanwhile, back up on the Sky Cube, Kevin had knocked Turbinski off the Sky Cube altogether, only for the Russian to disappear from view. The audience began to mutter amongst themselves as to the whereabouts of Kevin's opponent, but then he was spotted, standing upside down on the bottom of the Sky Cube, aided by his Antigravity Fulcrum Thruster.

"How do you beat a guy like that?" Dik Dik wondered aloud.

"I don't know!" Kid wailed, covering his eyes as Turbinski grabbed at Kevin, and the two began warring again.

"There's gotta be a way to beat him somehow," Terry said firmly. "And if anybody can find a way to win this here match-up, it's Kevin Mask!"

"It's time to end this!" Turbinski yelled, transforming into a lethal, needle-tipped fighter jet.

Kevin merely snorted with contemptuous laughter.

"No pain, no gain," he said darkly.

"Vhat are you talking about?" Turbinski demanded.

"Whilst you have been showing off, I have been gaining an insight into your big secret weapon and how to counteract it, Comrade," Kevin plainly replied.

"Zhen let's see you combat zhis!" Turbinski roared, flying up into the air, and then dive-bombing Kevin.

Kevin leapt to one side as Turbinski neared him, kicking out one foot, catching his boot on the underbelly of the plane. As Turbinski crashed into the space on the canvas where Kevin had been only moments ago, Kevin's foot tore a deep gash through the metalwork of Turbinski's underside, which hissed and smoked as Turbinski fell to the mat.

As the smoke from the hole cleared, Turbinski's Antigravity Fulcrum Thruster came into full view, spinning around as reliably as ever.

"I get it now!" Terry declared. "That there spinning wheel is the same sorta mechanism they use in ship's to help 'em navigate and stay upright! Kevin musta been lettin' Turbinski use all his best moves to study how the Comrade uses his torso's position to right himself whenever he falls or loses control!"

The others nodded their agreement, but Kid looked even more petrified than ever.

"And you guys figured that out how!" he asked.

"Easy, Kid!" Wally said, nodding his head and rubbing at his chin. "Just nod your head and rub you chin like I do, and act like you know exactly what they're talking about. That's what I always do."

Kid obeyed Wally instructions, but the fearful expression did not leave his features, making his performance somewhat less than convincing.

"It's a shame, Comrade, now that the secrets of your antigravity techniques have been exposed, this match is now back up in the air," Kevin said, as he began to take on the golden glow of his "inner light".

"Well done, Kevin!" Lord Flash cheered. "Show him the honour of the Mask family name!"

As Kevin began flinging Turbinski around the ring, Kid poked a finger into Meat's shoulder.

"Say Meat," he began. "What's Kevin doing? Is he trying to get Comrade Turbinski to lose his lunch?"

"No, not his lunch, Kid! Kevin's trying to get Comrade Turbinski to lose his balance, see?" Wally replied, touching a hand to Kid's shoulder to draw his attention away from Meat, who was still staring intently at Lord Flash. "Remember how Terry said the Antigravity Fulcrum Thruster was built to navigate ships? Well, if Kevin Mask can disorient it enough it will probably throw it out of whack, and maybe even cause it to malfunction."

Just as Wally predicted, the Antigravity Fulcrum Thruster mounted in Turbinski's chest stopped spinning. Kevin Mask grabbed Turbinski up and slammed him hard to the mat, relishing the resounding thud the full weight of his opponent's body made against the canvas.

"Turbinski!" Meat yelled up the ring. "You gotta throw in the towel now, before you get seriously hurt! You're done for without your Antigravity Fulcrum Thruster! You can't carry on! Just give it up!"

Ignoring Meat's advice, Turbinski reached a shaking hand into the hole in his chest, and began spinning the wheel of the Antigravity Fulcrum Thruster around in an attempt to jump start it manually. After several tries, the device eventually began to spin on its own accord, gaining in momentum to resume its original levels of speed and power.

"Man, that was close!" Meat gasped.

Lord Flash glowered at Meat one more time, before turning back to the Sky Cube overhead, where Turbinski once more had the upper hand.

"Come on, Kevin!" he yelled to his partner. "You were able to release the Maelstrom Power once before, now you must do it again!"

"Maelstrom Power?" Meat muttered to himself. "He must mean that golden glow Kevin gets, that inner light that gives him the strength to fight on!"

Turbinski jumped up into the air, with Kevin held beneath him, shifting into his Warhawk Helicopter form; but before Turbinski could follow through his move, his Antigravity Fulcrum Thruster stuttered to a halt in his chest, causing him to topple over, and sending him into a downward spiral.

"It seems your broken antigravity device has affected your ability to fly, too!" Kevin remarked. "Perhaps I can be of some assistance!"

Kevin leapt up and dug his foot into the existing tear he had created in the side-on ring, kicking forwards to tear a line across the way, turning the sheet of canvas into a triangular flap. Kevin then hurled the flap he had created over Turbinski, swatting him like a fly against the surface of the ring.

"You're grounded, Comrade!" he shouted. "You should have given up when you have the chance to!"

Kevin's form was once more illuminated by the golden glow of his Maelstrom Power.

"Now you'll suffer the full force of my power, fool!" Kevin added, catapulting himself off the bottommost ropes towards his crushed opponent.

On his ascent, Kevin grabbed up Turbinski, and the two ascended high above the top of the Sky Cube. Kevin turned his opponent over midair, and set him up for the Big Ben Bash. Turbinski, who had transformed back into his humanoid form, was helpless to fight back, and landed hard, headfirst, onto the mat of the topmost ring, his visor shattering upon impact.

Kevin stood up and stepped back, looking down at his broken opponent as he heaved in laboured breaths, fresh layers of sweat bursting out over his body under the heat of the spotlights overhead.

"What are you waiting for?" Lord Flash screamed up at him. "Finish him! Kevin, to be known throughout the universe as the best, you must show no mercy!"

"But he's finished!" Kevin yelled back, pointing down at Comrade Turbinski's prone, crumpled form at his feet. "Just look at him!"

Comrade Turbinski slowly stirred, groaning as he moved a hand to his shattered head.

"I… Can… Fight," he moaned weakly.

"This is your chance, Kevin, to send a message to your next opponent, to let him know what will be in store for him!" Lord Flash yelled.

Kevin peered over the edge of the ring at the point where Lord Flash was standing. Behind him, the Muscle League Chojins and their friends were gathered, staring up at him anxiously. Amongst them was Kid Muscle, looking about as petrified as Kevin had ever seen him look, Kid Muscle who was potentially the man Kevin would be facing in his next match.

Kevin leaned over to peer over the opposite side of the ring, looking down onto the audience sat there. In the front row, he could clearly see Buffaloman and Mars looking back up at him expectantly. Mars was also potentially Kevin's next opponent.

Beneath the polished blue steel of his helmet, a smirk crept onto Kevin's face.

"You know Lord Flash, that's not a bad idea," he said.

"Yes, Kevin!" Lord Flash rejoiced, punching both fists up into the air above his head. "Show the Comrade your true might! Use the Mask family forbidden hold and finish him!"

As Lord Flash said the words "finish him", he draw a thumb over his throat, clarifying any doubts as to just what he meant by his last instruction to Kevin.

"I don't like the sound of this!" Meat muttered to himself. "This sounds real bad!"

"So be it," Kevin said decisively.

Turbinski tried to transform one last time, his arms shifting into the form of spiked wings at his sides. Kevin, who was infused with the glowing light of his Maelstrom Power and blinded by his adrenaline, leapt onto Comrade Turbinski's back, oblivious to the Russian's attempt to fight back. Kevin grabbed the tip of each of Turbinski's wings in each of his hands, the gold aura around him intensifying further still as he yanked upwards.

"All-out Assault!" Kevin yelled.

"Break free, Comrade!" Turbinski's fans called to him.

"Poor fools!" Kevin laughed. "If only they knew that there is no way to break free from this move… At least, not until I break you!"

Kevin yanked harder at Turbinski's arms, causing him to scream out as a fresh wave of pain washed over him.

"This can't go on!" Meat yelled in desperation, grabbing at the railings. "Somebody's gotta do something! Turbinski may be Kevin Mask's opponent, but he's not an enemy!"

"Wrong, Meat!" Lord Flash snarled. "All opponents are enemies! Finish him, Kevin!"

"I hope you're both watching this closely Kid Muscle, Mars!" Kevin cried. "Because this is what I'm going to do to whoever of you I have to fight next!"

Again, Kevin yanked harder at Turbinski's arms, the golden aura of his inner light erupting like a raging inferno around him, almost obscuring him from view. As the flames of gold around Kevin reached their peak, Comrade Turbinski's wings were wrenched from their sockets, and the Comrade moaned weakly, slumping beneath Kevin.

The audience were split between shock and disgust at what they saw; but Jacqueline McMadd was delighted, as she let out an orgasmic cry of satisfaction.

"Could someone please give me a hand…" Turbinski said weakly, before collapsing into and unconscious heap on the mat.

"Enough already!" Meat roared. "Stop it with the sick mind games, now!"

Jacqueline groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Alright, little man, don't get you diapers in a twist," she muttered, clanging the gavel against the bell to signify the end of the match.

Kevin Mask lifted Turbinski's broken wings above his head as though they were the trophy for his victory. At his feet, Turbinski's twisted body twitched silently.

"This went way too far!" Meat shouted to anyone who cared to listen. "Lord Flash, I don't know what school of wrestlin' you came from – or even who really you are for that matter – but I do know one thing, and that's that you and Kevin Mask went way overboard for this match today!"

"That's just it, Meat," Lord Flash retaliated. "You don't know which school of wrestling I came from, because if you did, you would know that going way overboard is the only way we were taught to win! And if you think that this was bad, just you wait until Kevin gets his hands on his next opponent! You had better pray to every god you know for Kid Muscle, because if he makes it to the final round, he'll be the next victim of the Mask family forbidden hold!"

A team of medics raced between the two coaches, and they began to climb up the ladder towards the top of Sky Cube to aid the fallen Comrade Turbinski.

"Just a minute!" Kevin yelled, holding out a hand to halt their progress up the ladder.

The entire arena fell silent as everyone held their breath in anticipation of what Kevin would do next.

"Since Comrade Turbinski was such a fan of flying, and since the rules of this match clearly state that victory can only be achieved by throwing your opponent off the edge of the Sky Cube, let us finish this match as we should, and give the Comrade one last flight," Kevin said. "What do you say, Lord Flash?"

"I couldn't agree more, Kevin!" Lord Flash cheerfully replied. "Any Chojin that lives by avoiding the rules of gravity should die by facing the rules of gravity! And let this serve as a warning to anyone who may think that Kevin Mask reserves any self-doubt about winning the Chojin Crown!"

Kevin nodded his agreement, grabbing Turbinski up over his shoulder. He then leapt up above the ring, and hurled Turbinski over the edge, sending him into a rapidly accelerating freefall towards the floor 1000 feet below them. Comrade Turbinski's limp body fell soundlessly through the deathly silent air of the arena, tumbling end over end. As he neared the ground, the spectators averted their eyes in expectation of the Russian Chojin's gruesome demise.

There was a brief, stiff silence, before the fans were brave enough to face the results of Turbinski's fall. A ripple of awestruck gasps washed over the audience as they saw that Turbinski's body had stopped mere inches from the ground, held there by Meat, who was buckling underneath the effects of catching the falling wrestler.

Meat's legs shuddered beneath him before finally giving out on him. Comrade Turbinski flopped to the ground and Meat fell at his side. Kid Muscle leapt over the railings, scooping his manager up into his arms, frowning down at him in concern.

"Kid, Meat loves you," Meat said weakly, before passing out.

"Your little friend will recover, even though he almost killed himself trying to save that worthless bucket of bolts," Lord Flash sneered at Kid. "He shouldn't have wasted his effort, especially not if he truly cared about you, Kid Muscle! Now it seems you are without a trainer for your upcoming match. Then again, if he is so stupid as to try to save that pathetic loser, perhaps it is for the best."

Kid handed Meat over the railings to Terry, marching up to meet Kevin Mask as he leapt off the end of the ladder from the Sky Cube. Jacqueline hurriedly ran between them, placing a hand on each of their chests to stop them getting any closer to each other.

"Now, now, boys!" she whispered. "Save it for match day! The cameras are rolling, and we need to keep a little suspense in this thing to keep the fans coming back for more, don't we? Now be good boys and shake hands."

Kid hardened his features, extending a hand towards Kevin, who copied his action.

"That's better!" Jacqueline cooed. "Good boys!"

Jacqueline took a step back to allow the camera a clear shot of Kid and Kevin as they moved their hands closer to shake on the match; but just before their hands met, Kid balled his hand into a fist and swung a vicious uppercut at Kevin, hitting him square on the underside of his chin, the one part of Kevin's face that was not protected by his substantial iron helmet.

"Take that!" Kid yelled as Kevin fell flat onto his back.

"Kid, stop!" Roxanne begged. "This is no time for getting into a fight with Kevin Mask! Meat needs your help!"

"Just a minute, Roxanne!" Kid replied before approaching Kevin's laid out form. "You called Meat stupid!" he yelled down at Kevin. "Now take it back! He did what any one of us would have done: he saved the life of a fellow Chojin! If his size two shoe was on the other foot, he would have saved you too!"

"Don't worry, little boy, we're here to help you now," the medic said reassuringly to Meat as Terry laid him on a stretcher.

"But I'm thirty-five…" Meat groaned.

"I'm here for you, Meat," Marie said softly, taking hold of his hand.

Meat used what little energy he had left in his barely conscious state to pull his mouth into a smile for the woman he so adored.

"It's time for you to redefine you definition of the word "stupid", Kevin!" Kid ranted on behind them. "Because by being stupid, Meat was braver than someone who was just being smart!"

"Being stupid and saving Turbinski makes you a hero!" a fan yelled out.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" the audience began to chant.

"Kid," Meat groaned, reaching a hand towards Kid. "Come over here, I've got something to give you."

Kid turned towards Meat, walking up to him expectantly.

"It's something that'll bring back memories for ya," Meat added. "Do you remember this?"

"Of course I do!" Kid replied as Meat held up the item in his hand. "It's the Lantern of Soul!"

"The one and the same, buddy boy!" Meat replied, as the flame within the lantern roared and flared with a passion.

"Oh wow!" Roxanne gasped. "It seems like so long ago that you first won that thing! But who could forget the Lantern of Soul? The lantern that indicates the power level of a Kinniku's Ultimate Muscle!"

"It's burnin' so bright cause you've come such a long way, Kid," Meat continued. "Just keep your sense of justice and your fighting spirit… And go easy on the "stupid" stuff, yeah? Not everyone's smart enough to get it."

"Oh heaven help us all!" Kevin roared. "Enough with the God damned melodrama! I don't know who's worse at creating sappy, soppy, sickening scenes of crap, Kid Muscle or Jacqueline McMadd! Dare I say it's all getting a tad "stupid"?"

"The way I see it, Meat had to be out of his tiny mind to try to catch Comrade Turbinski," Lord Flash added. "There was no way he could have escaped injury. It was a lapse in judgement that no trainer can afford to make. At least, not if he wants his wrestler to stand a chance of winning the Chojin Crown!"

"Ha!" Kevin snorted, placing his hands in his hips. "And so where does that leave you, Kid Muscle? You have no trainer, no guidance and therefore no idea how you are going to win your next match. You must feel very empty and frightened inside, knowing that you could be facing Lord Flash and me completely alone!"

The flame in the Lantern of Soul fizzled down, shrinking from a lively inferno to a mere lick of firelight.

"Any of my friends could substitute for my trainer any day!" Kid replied defiantly.

"Not quite, Kid Muscle," Jacqueline quickly interrupted, glancing at the camera to confirm that her next revelation would be broadcast live to the viewing public. "Your trainer can only be a Chojin, Kid. And only a Chojin who has never had the opportunity to wrestle in the final twelve of the Chojin Crown!"

The flame inside the Lantern of Soul shrank lower, almost disappearing from view altogether. Turbinski groaned as he slowly regained consciousness whilst passing Kid Muscle on his stretcher.

"This is a nightmare!" Kid wailed.

"It usually is, for the losers!" Kevin Mask taunted him.

Roxanne gasped as the Lantern of Soul extinguished entirely. Kevin let out a short laugh, pointing at the now redundant lantern.

"You must be getting a chill without that flame," he sneered. "Here, let me help."

Kevin snatched the lantern from Kid, thrusting it into the air above his head. The others gasped as their faces were illuminated by the brightest flame ever to be seen burning inside the lantern.

"How is that possible?" Kid wailed. "Kevin Mask lit the Lantern of Soul? No fair! I thought only a Kinniku could light the Lantern of Soul! Meat! Where are you when I need you?

"According to this lantern, Kid Muscle, you'll be with your precious manager soon enough!" Kevin taunted, waggling the lantern at Kid.

"You could just forfeit your next match, but don't you think that Kevin has earned the right to seek revenge on the Kinniku dynasty by mercilessly beating you once and for all, Kid Muscle?" Lord Flash added.

"We'll try to send Meat some flowers," Kevin said, dropping the lantern at Kid's feet.

"Without Meat by my side, there's no way I can win the Chojin Crown!" Kid wailed. "Kevin Mask is just too tough! Can someone find my mommy please? In fact, never mind. I'll find her myself!"

Kid turned to run out of the arena, screaming as he ran straight into someone.

"Hey, watch where you're goin', jackass!"

Kid leapt back, screaming louder still when he realised it was none other than his imminent future opponent, Mars.

"You know, I really don't like da way dat everybody's talkin' like Kid Muscle's already made it into da final round," Mars continued. "He's still gotta get past me, first! And don't you all think I wanna shot at daddy's boy here?"

Mars flicked a hand at a chunk of Kevin's hair, causing Kevin to snarl like a wild animal.

"Talk about a perfect ending!" Jacqueline sighed, looking around the three remaining competitors. "Love, honour and redemption. Which will it be?"

"Ah, shut your yap!" Mars groaned.

"Excuse me, boys," Kevin said, marching onwards towards the backstage area.

As he passed Mars, Kevin bashed his shoulder into Mars's, the suddenness and forcefulness of his action causing Mars to stumble backwards. Mars hissed at him, narrowing his eyes as he watched his old ally leave.

"Mars!"

Mars spun around again at the sound of his name, smiling gently as he spotted Kiki.

"Hey, sweetheart!" he began, reaching a hand towards her. "I gotta–"

"Come on," Buffaloman interrupted him, stepping in between the two. "We must leave here now."

"But–"

"Now."

Mars hesitated, searching Buffaloman's eyes, before sighing in defeat. He turned on his heels and headed out of the arena ahead of the Legend, without a single backward glance.

Kid dropped to his knees, picking up his Lantern of Soul and exerting one last futile effort to ignite it.

"I'm screwed…" he muttered to himself, lowering his head in shame.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Despite having secured himself a slot in the final round of the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown, Kevin Mask continues his rigorous training schedule, only stopping when an unwelcome interruption (or two) distracts him. **Chapter 26 – Remember Me**.


	27. Remember Me

**A/N:** I briefly mention an OC called Edward in this chapter. Anyone interested can check out his background under my other ongoing UM fic _Bad Boys_.

Sorry this chapter is a bit short (over 4000 words, but short by my standards!), hopefully I'll get the next chapter up a bit quicker!

**Recap:** Kevin defeated Comrade Turbinski in a brutal match to advance to the final round, Meat was knocked out of commission when he saved Turbinski from certain death, Kid began to lose hope of winning when his Lantern of Soul failed him and Mars warned the others not to count him out just yet. I'll say it again: in the end, there can be only one, but who will it be! (But I'm pretty damn sure you all already know…)

* * *

**Chapter 26 – Remember Me**

"I hope your next opponent is Kid Muscle!" Lord Flash plotted as he paced back and forth across the gym. "That way, we can finally destroy the Kinnikus, and prove to the world that the Mask family are the superior wrestlers!"

"I hope my next opponent is scarface Mars!" Kevin growled, continuing his push-ups in the centre of the ring. "That bastard told the McMadds about Edward!"

Lord Flash stumbled to a halt, freezing on the spot for a moment.

"Edward?" he questioned, his voice soft and quiet.

"I've told you about Edward, haven't I?" Kevin asked, pushing himself to his feet and turning towards his trainer. "My younger brother?"

"Yes, Comrade, you have," Lord Flash slowly replied, nodding his head.

"Well, that bastard told Jacqueline McMadd about him," Kevin sighed. "He told the McMadd girl about the promise I made… The promise I broke…"

"Edward…"

Kevin paused, frowning beneath his mask at Lord Flash, who had suddenly gained a faraway, dreamy expression.

"Anyway, he had no right to talk to the McMadds about anything that happened when we were in the DMP," Kevin continued. "Or indeed anything that happened before we were in the DMP, as the case is here. Mars claims that I was the one who told that McMadd woman about Edward. Of course, Mars has his own issues with Edward, since it was Edward who led the attack on Mars when he returned to the DMP three years ago to denounce his membership."

"Edward lives?" Lord Flash asked.

"Oh yes, he lives alright," Kevin replied. "The last I heard, he was running amok with a group of Devil Chojins calling themselves "The Anarchists". How pathetic. Imagine basing your entire wrestling career and all your goals in life around your hatred and resentfulness towards your own father! Can you imagine that, Lord Flash? Such a ridiculous notion!"

Lord Flash spun around to eye Kevin suspiciously, wondering if his student realised just how ironic his own words had just been; but Kevin seemed to be distracted by something. Lord Flash turned in the direction Kevin was staring, tensing as he sighted Mars standing in the doorway of the gym.

"Hey, squealer, how's it goin'?" Mars asked, walking into the room.

"Get away from me," Kevin growled. "You had no right to tell Jacqueline McMadd about Edward!"

"Yeah, about dat… Doesn't it seem at all odd to you dat she knew da details of your relationship with Eddie and mine's?"

Kevin faltered, his eyes lowering to the ground thoughtfully. Mars walked over to Lord Flash, an impudent smile creeping over his lips.

"So Kevin, where did you find you pet huh?" he asked, eying over Kevin's coach.

Kevin's head snapped around and he fixed his eyes onto Mars, unable to hide his shock. It had been so long since Mars had called him by his first name Kevin was too shocked to answer his one-time friend.

"You know it might be a good idea to invest in a pair of pants for dis dude right here," Mars added. "Cause I find his ass quite offensive."

"What?" Kevin muttered, walking over to the corner of the ring nearest Lord Flash and Mars.

"Mind your manners, you arrogant fool!" Lord Flash snarled, raising a fist in the air between his face and Mars's.

"Ooh!" Mars replied, grinning. "Whatcha gonna do, huh? You gonna bitchslap me wid your crazy fingernails again?"

Lord Flash glanced nervously at Kevin, before locking his eyes onto Mars in a menacing glare.

"Listen buddy, I'ma do you a favour, yeah?" Mars said, reaching a hand under his belt. "Here you go," he continued, stuffing a handful of notes into Lord Flash's hand. "Go get yourself a manicure and a decent pair of pants, yeah?"

"How dare you!" Lord Flash snapped, throwing Mars's money back at him.

"He thinks he's being funny," Kevin explained, climbing out of the ring. "Just ignore him, Lord Flash."

"Hey, what kinda name is "Lord Flash", anyways?" Mars asked.

Lord Flash turned towards Kevin as he walked over to them, turning his back on Mars. Mars's eyes fell down Lord Flash's back, doubling in size suddenly.

"Whoa!" Mars chuckled. "I think I can see now why dey call you Flash! Dat really is some–"

"Stop trying to be clever, it doesn't suit you, scarface," Kevin said, stepping between Mars and Lord Flash. "What do you want, anyway? Why did you come here?"

"What, a guy can't visit an old friend?" Mars asked, trying his best to look innocent.

"We are not now, we never were, and we most certainly never will be friends, Mars," Kevin coolly pointed out. "What do you want? Shouldn't you be readying yourself for your match with Kid Muscle tomorrow?"

"Unlike you, Mask, I don't gotta practise all da time to be good at what I do," Mars replied, puffing out his chest proudly. "But I gotta say, you did good yesterday, I was impressed. Maybe if you'd fought like dat when you was in da DMP, we could have defeated da Muscle League."

"Defeat the Muscle League? That's fine talk from a man seeking to join their ranks!"

"Well, you know me, Mask. I gotta go where I'm needed. And da Muscle League seriously needs some good guidance."

"You "gotta go where you're needed"? What are you now, The Littlest Hobo?"

"Ah, you're just scared I'm gonna beat you and make you look bad in front of daddy."

"I am not scared of anything!"

"Sure you're not."

Mars began pacing around the room, leaving Kevin and Lord Flash alone together.

"Lord Flash, could you excuse me for a moment, please?" Kevin whispered. "I wish to speak with Mars on my own."

"Certainly, Kevin," Lord Flash agreed with a nod of his head. "But I must say first that when I said I thought you should try to acquaint yourself better with your fellow Justice Chojins, I wasn't referring to that particular one."

"I understand, Lord Flash, and thank you."

Lord Flash nodded his head again, before marching out of the room.

"If it wasn't you who told them, and it wasn't me," Kevin said slowly. "Then who was it?"

Kevin and Mars turned simultaneously to face each other, slowly pacing across the room to meet each other in the middle of the floor.

"Thinking about it logically, there are only three people who could have told that McMadd woman other than the two of us," Kevin began.

"Checkmate," Mars suggested.

"Yes," Kevin agreed, holding up one finger.

"Your daddy," Mars added.

"Yes," Kevin replied, holding up a second finger.

"Or Eddie himself."

"Yes…"

Mars pulled a face at Kevin questioningly.

"You don't think…" he began thoughtfully. "Surely not?"

"Why not? Lord knows the boy is criminally insane," Kevin replied.

"But why? Eddie never did nothin' unless dere was somethin' in it for him," Mars insisted.

"Perhaps there was something in it for him."

"You mean like dat Jackie girl gave him–"

"No, not exactly. But she probably paid him well."

"Eddie ain't never done nothin' for money before, Mask."

"No, he usually only did things for a chance at revenge upon either my father, me or you."

"Or all of us."

"You don't mean…?"

Mars and Kevin frowned at each other thoughtfully.

"Oh God, I hope not!" Kevin sighed. "I really couldn't stand for another bloody wrestling tournament! And with The Anarchists as our opponents, you can bet it would be a bloody stupid wrestling tournament, too!"

"Yeah," Mars said, one corner of his mouth curling into his cheek. "And da matches would be crazy. Like "Panties on a Pole", or fightin' in a ring wid da Electrolix, or maybe even just fightin' on a cube-shaped ring a thousand feet in da air!"

"This is different," Kevin quietly replied. "This is the Chojin Crown. This is about honour."

"Yeah, dat's true," Mars replied sarcastically. "It's also about love, and redemption, and ratings, and ticket sales, and merchandisin', and book sales, and–"

"Okay, you've made your point! I just don't want to have to fight Edward and his two little friends. I honestly thought I had seen the last of the DMP after Kid Muscle defeated you three years ago."

"Uh, yeah, about dat…"

Kevin fixed his eyes onto Mars in alarm as Mars's eyes fell to the ground and he scratched at the back of his head with one hand.

"Funny thing dere, Mask," he said, forcing a smile but still avoiding Kevin's eyes. "Eddie's gotten himself some more friends since you last saw him."

"What?" Kevin echoed.

"Dere ain't just three Devil Chojins in da Anarchists any more, Mask," Mars said solemnly, meeting Kevin's eyes again. "Dey recruited a few more."

"A few more?" Kevin repeated. "How many more is a few more?"

"Three?"

"Three? Three more? There are six of them now?"

"Yeah."

Kevin slowly nodded his understanding.

"So you were attacked by six men when you returned to the DMP?" he asked Mars.

"Yeah, dat's right." Mars confirmed.

"Oh…"

Kevin turned his back on Mars, slowly pacing away from him, deep in thought.

"But dey are da last of da DMP, Mask," Mars called after him. "I saw it myself. It's just Eddie and his five friends. Unless dey got anybody new in da last three years, of course."

"Which is always a possibility," Kevin said flatly.

"But da Muscle League could handle da Anarchists, Mask," Mars said confidently. "Kinniku, Kenyon, Tusket, Van Dik, Checkmate and Jaeger could easily stop 'em."

"Do you forget, Mars, that Edward was trained by the DMP's two finest wrestlers?"

"You mean he was trained by da DMP's finest wrestler and an English nancy boy."

"My point is, Mars, you and I passed our finest skills and our greatest tactical secrets on to that boy. Logically speaking, as a man, Edward would have the combined skills of both you and I."

"Nah, Eddie's an even bigger fairy dan you is, Mask."

"Mars, this is serious."

"Heh, at least Eddie didn't look like some pretty boy pop star."

"Mars please! You and I are both fighting for the Muscle League now, and Edward is still fighting for the DMP! As such, you and I are duty-bound to combat any threats from Edward or his band of friends!"

"Okay, calm down already! Man, what is wrong wid you?"

Kevin sighed loudly, grabbing his hands into tight fists in frustration.

"See Mask, dere you go again," Mars said. "You was always so worried about what somebody else was thinkin' about you."

"Oh shut-up, scarface!" Kevin sneered.

"First it was your mom, cause you broke your promise."

"Yes, and thank you very much for reminding me! Again!"

"Den it was your dad cause you was such a disappointment to him. What was it dat you always said? "Because good enough is never good enough". And den of course, dere was dat girl…"

Kevin straightened his back, his entire body going rigid as every muscle in his body tensed.

"Although, dat was about da funniest thing I ever saw!" Mars added, laughing to himself.

"Funny?" Kevin muttered, rounding on Mars.

Kevin paused, watching Mars laugh to himself. From the corner of one eye, Kevin could see someone had joined them in the room. Beneath his mask, a cocky smirk appeared on Kevin's face.

"What was it that you said to me then, Mars?" he said slyly. "Let me see… Ah yes, I remember it now! "What sort of man would want to leave the DMP for the sake of a mere woman?" That was it, wasn't it?"

Mars wiped a tear from one eye, watching Kevin with a smile.

"What?" he asked.

"I said, what sort of man would want to leave the DMP for the sake of a mere woman?" Kevin repeated.

Mars's smile dropped and he turned his head sharply towards the door, his eyes widening as he caught sight of Kiki standing in the doorway, watching him intently.

"Sweetheart, where have you been?" he asked her.

"I was looking for you," she answered breathlessly. "I kept losing you… I just wanted…"

Kiki stopped as tears began to prick at her eyes.

"Come here, sweetheart," Mars said softly, opening his arms.

Kiki took three steps forward and then stopped, the tears slipping from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. Mars beckoned with his hands for her to come closer, and she began to run towards him, throwing herself into his embrace. Mars gladly wrapped his arms around her waist, hoisting her up off the ground and swinging her around. Kiki laughed in delight, gripping her hands into his headdress and pressing her cheek against his.

Kevin cleared his throat loudly and awkwardly, eying them sulkily. But neither Kiki nor Mars noticed Kevin's agitation. Mars began to lower Kiki back to the ground, holding her body closely against his as he did so. Kiki moved her hands to Mars's head, holding his face steady as she began kissing frantically at his cheek. Mars closed his eyes, sliding his hands up her back and basking in her affection.

Kevin cleared his throat again, this time making sure it was loud and irritating enough to cause offence; but still Kiki and Mars ignored him. Kiki slowly pulled Mars's head back, kissing along his cheek until her lips met his. Mars gladly kissed her back, frowning and groaning involuntarily as she suddenly pulled back, staring into his eyes.

Kiki slowly lowered her eyes from Mars's to his chest. She slid her hands from his face, down over his shoulders and over his chest to the white outline of the bird emblem over his chest. Her frown deepened as she realised that the emblem was a flap of material that concealed something else beneath it, just as it had done before.

Fearing the worst, Kiki grabbed at the flap with both hands, tearing it off violently. She yelped at what she saw underneath, squeezing one fist around the chunk of material she had torn off and clapping the other hand over her gaping mouth. Kevin leaned back to check the results of Kiki's action for himself, groaning at what he saw.

"Oh please, how pathetic is that?" he grumbled.

Kiki yelped again, dropping the section of fabric she had torn loose and reaching both hands out to the logo over Mars's chest. She gasped as her fingertips touched the letters written over Mars, fresh tears falling from her eyes. She slowly traced her fingers over the letters, the initials of a place Kiki had only ever heard about from the other Chojins.

"It's da logo for da Hercules Factory, sweetheart," Mars explained.

Kiki looked up at Mars, her bottom lip quivering.

"I'm so sorry," she said weakly.

"What?' Mars echoed. "No, don't be sorry, sweetheart! You had every right to doubt me. I was wrong. I had to leave before because I had to do dis. I wanted to join da Muscle League, but I knew I had to do it right. So I confronted da DMP first. And den I went back and asked da trainers at da Hercules Factory if dey could help me learn about all dat "power of friendship" crap."

"I tried to get to you before you left!" Kiki said, grabbing her hands into Mars's biceps. "I tried, really I did! But Dik Dik…"

"Yeah, da bastard, huh?" Mars said, rolling his eyes. "All dat fuss he put up, and den he went and married some other girl, huh?"

"Yeah," Kiki agreed.

"But we can start over now, right?" Mars asked, hooking a finger under Kiki's chin and lifting her face towards his.

"I'd like that!" Kiki agreed.

Mars leaned over, holding Kiki's chin in place, aiming his lips for hers; but Kevin began clearing his throat again, this time using sufficient force to induce a coughing fit. Mars paused, exchanging frowns with Kiki. Together they slowly turned their heads towards Kevin, who was coughing and hacking away, smacking a fist against his chest. Eventually, it sounded as though Kevin had managed to wretch something up into his throat. There was brief silence, before Kevin gulped audibly.

Mars and Kiki turned to each other, screwing up their faces in disgust.

"Look, I really can't stand all this Disney shite," Kevin growled. "I hate love stories. And I especially hate it when the love story in question stars my two least favourite people in this world. But since you both… Well, let's just say that since I dislike that gazelleman almost as much as I dislike the two of you, I feel there's something you should both know."

Mars and Kiki turned to each other, exchanging confused expressions before turning back to Kevin expectantly.

"It's about that day the two of you were planning to elope three years ago," Kevin began. "Mars, Dik Dik used the blonde girl's phone to create a distraction for Kiki to stop her getting to you on time."

"He did?" Mars echoed, turning to Kiki.

Kiki nodded her agreement.

"But you left the hospital before you said you would, so I would have missed you regardless," she added.

"Yes, well, there's a little story there, too Kiki," Kevin continued. "You see, just to make absolutely sure that he ruined the relationship between the two of you from both sides, Dik Dik also created a little distraction for Mars. Earlier that morning, Dik Dik went to the hospital and told Mars that you had chosen him over Mars, and that the two of you were getting married, and that you hated Mars."

"What?" Kiki echoed, turning to Mars.

"Yeah, but I know now dat dat was a lie," Mars agreed. "He said "Mars, Kiki has sent me to tell dat she hates you for lyin' to her da way you did. I have asked her to marry me, and she had agreed. If you ever come near her again, you will be riskin' your life, and you will only upset her further. Just leave her alone now, she's happy. She has a real man now." I can still remember every word, and da look on his face when he told me."

"I can't believe he lied to us both like that!" Kiki gasped.

"Why not?" Mars asked, shrugging his shoulders. "People do crazy things when dey are in love."

"I guess so…" Kiki said, scratching her head. "But still…"

"Dat's da sorta power a pretty face has," Mars said, sliding the back his hand down Kiki's cheek.

Kiki caught his hand in both of hers, stretching up onto her toes to kiss him tenderly on the lips.

"Alright, enough of this crap!" Kevin yelled, hurling a towel at them.

Mars quickly caught the towel before it slapped Kiki on the back of her head, narrowing his eyes at Kevin.

"Get out of here!" Kevin ordered, pointing at the door. "Both of you! Now!"

Kiki turned to Mars, who tossed the towel over his shoulder.

"We should probably leave," Mars advised. "Pantless wonder will be worried about squealer here."

"Pantless won…"

Kiki threw her head back, laughing out loud.

"Hey Mask, tell your friend to get some pants on before your next match, yeah? Dere are kids in da audience, and seein' dat ass could scar dem for life, yeah?" Mars said to Kevin. "C'mon sweetheart," he continued, turning to Kiki. "Let's get outta dis city."

Mars took Kiki by the hand and began to pull her towards the door; but Kiki dug her heels in, grabbing her other hand over Mars's.

"We can't," she said, hanging her head. "I totally wrecked my sister's car!"

"Dat's okay, dere are plenty of other ways to get outta da city," Mars assured her, casting a quick smirk at Kevin.

"Just go!" Kevin roared, pointing at the door again.

"Come on, Kiki," Mars said, winking at her.

Kiki smiled up at him, walking up to his side and wrapping both of her arms around one of his, cuddling up to his side as they walked out of the gym together.

"Thank God for that," Kevin sighed. "I thought they'd never leave…"

Mars and Kiki stepped outside, slowing as they neared the middle of the carpark. A mischievous glint passed over Mars's eyes as he spotted something. Kiki caught the look on his face, and curiously turned in the direction he appeared to be looking, finding a brand new, immaculately clean Harley Davidson motorbike.

"Wow, that must be Kevin's new bike, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, he always did like his bikes," Mars replied, starting towards the motorbike.

Kiki skipped after him, tilting her head to one side as she watched Mars walk around the motorbike, running his hands over the bodywork and smiling admirably at what he saw.

"Can you ride a motorbike, Mars?" she asked him.

"No," he confessed. "I can't drive a car, neither. How about you?"

Kiki shook her head.

"I can drive a car, but I've never ridden a motorbike before," she replied.

"Well, ain't it da same basic sorta principle?" Mars asked.

"What, driving a car and riding a bike? No, not really!"

"It can't be dat hard to ride dis thing. I mean, Kevin Mask rides it all da time!"

Mars cast one last glance over the motorbike, before raising his eyes to Kiki and grinning at her.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Let's take it," he whispered.

"What?" Kiki yelped.

"Let's take da bike!" he repeated. "Come on, sweetheart! You can ride it, I'll hop on da back!"

"But that's stealing!"

"Nah, it's borrowing."

"It is?"

"Well, we both know Kevin Mask, right?"

"Um…"

"When we was in da DMP together, Kevin Mask always took me out on his bike. He rode, and I stood up behind him. I used to carry a baseball bat wid me and smack things as we passed 'em, but we don't gotta do dat now. We could just go for a ride someplace and have a picnic. What do ya say, sweetheart?"

Kiki eyed the bike over, a smile creeping onto her face in spite of her fears.

"Perfect," Mars said, pulling a set of keys from his belt.

"How did you…?" Kiki began, pointing at the keys.

"You don't wanna know, trust me, sweetheart," Mars replied, pressing the keys into Kiki's hand.

Kiki bit at her lip, smiling up at Mars.

"Come on, what are you waitin' for, huh?" he encouraged, ushering her towards the front of the motorbike.

Kiki cautiously climbed onto the bike, taking a moment to study the controls.

"Uh, sweetheart, dat's da only set of keys for dis bike, if you know what I'm sayin'," Mars urged as he climbed on behind her.

"So Kevin no longer has his keys for the bike?" Kiki asked, holding up the keys in her hand.

"Exactly," Mars agreed. "So step on it before he notices, yeah?"

Kiki turned to look over her shoulder at Mars, who grinned back at her, his fangs glinting in the sunlight. Kiki hesitated, unsure of how to react; but she soon found herself grinning back at Mars and ramming the key into the ignition and turning it sharply, the engine of the motorbike roaring to life beneath her.

With a scream of delight, Kiki raced forwards, heading out of the carpark. As she skidded around the corner onto the main road, Kevin Mask and Lord Flash ran out of the gym, slowing to a halt as they watched Mars and Kiki speed off out of sight.

"Those bastards!" Kevin yelled. "That was not what I meant when I said they had to get out! That scar-faced, bird-featured, arrogant, irksome, foul-mouthed, insolent, fang-toothed, yellow-eyed, red-haired bastard!"

Lord Flash started towards Kevin in an attempt to calm him down, but stopped short as Kevin began violently waving a pointed finger at him.

"And the girl!" Kevin added. "That green-haired, pixie-featured, freckle-faced, buxom little wench! That irritating, bothersome, teasing little minx! Lest we forget about her! I don't know which one I hate more, Flash! And she crashed into my last bike, and now she's stolen my new bike! That little–"

"Kevin, stop!" Lord Flash yelled, silencing his protégé. "I think we've heard enough "colourful" descriptions of Mars and Kiki for one day."

"I have a good mind to call the police and report them both for theft!" Kevin sneered, folding his arms over his chest.

"Now, Kevin, that will not do any good," Lord Flash warned him. "You cannot let this distract you from your training."

"You're right, Lord Flash," Kevin agreed, nodding his head. "I have to beat that arsehole. If somehow he manages to win this thing, he'll join the Muscle League, and then I'll never be rid of him!"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** At last Mars and Kiki get some time alone together to talk; but their conversation is tainted by the upcoming events of the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown. Kid Muscle and Roxanne share a heartfelt moment as they prepare themselves for the worst. **Chapter 27 – Changes**.


	28. Changes

**A/N:** Short but sweet folks, but at least I got it up before I left the country!

**Recap:** Kevin's training session was interrupted by Mars and Mars and Kevin were interrupted by Kiki, Mars and Kiki stole Kevin's new motorbike to escape from the city and enjoy some time together, and Kevin was a tad pissed…

* * *

**Chapter 27 – Changes**

Kiki looked down at her hands, frowning as she saw that they were still shaking. A bottle of water appeared at her shoulder, and she took it gratefully, looking up at the person offering it to her. She smiled instinctively, a part of her still unable to believe that she was actually with Mars again. She watched him as he sat down at her side, crossing his legs in front of himself.

"Are you okay now, sweetheart?" he asked her, before biting into his sandwich.

"I think so," she lied, unscrewing the lid on her bottle of water. "It was lucky you knew what to do."

"Yeah…"

Mars turned his head away from Kiki as he finished his mouthful of food, turning back to her as he swallowed it over.

"I didn't mean to lie to you about not knowin' how to control da bike, I just wanted to see if you would actually ride da bike for yourself," he explained.

"It was fun," she replied, trying to look optimistic. "Starting the bike up was great! And going on straight roads was good! Corners were a little bit scary, but they were okay. It was just the stopping thing that was an issue."

Mars smiled, biting into his sandwich again.

"And I think Kevin will be furious when he sees what I did to his bike," Kiki added, leaning past Mars to look at Kevin's motorbike. "I destroyed his last bike, and now I've damaged his new one."

"Ah, it's just a little scratch, he'll never notice it," Mars said reassuringly. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart."

Kiki studied Mars's profile as he stuffed the rest of his sandwich into his mouth, chewing on it at a leisurely pace. He appeared to be genuinely unconcerned by the matter, making Kiki wonder, yet again, if she was going mad. She moved her eyes to Kevin's motorbike, running her eyes along the white scratches in the paintwork that stretched the full length of the bodywork. Kiki winced as her eyes landed on the gnarled metal remains where one of the rear-view mirrors had previously existed.

After deciding that Kevin would not be too mad at her since he had managed to forgive her for destroying his last motorbike, Kiki turned her attention back to Mars, studying him with an air of confused disbelief. Although she had always believed that he was still alive, although she had always believed that one day he would return, Kiki still could not believe that Mars truly was sitting right in front of her.

Kiki then realised that her belief that Mars had survived was more one of hopeful optimism than one of solid acceptance. Had the Chojin Crown tournament not taken place, Mars's already fading presence in her memories would have sank further into the deepest recesses of her mind, and, in time, become just a distant memory of something that had once made her smile many years ago.

But Mars had survived and Mars had come back.

"I was so scared," Kiki whispered.

Mars turned to face her, frowning at her questioningly.

"I was so scared that I would never see you again," she added, before gulping audibly.

"I said I was gonna come back and fight Kid Muscle," Mars replied, cocking a smirk at her.

"But the way you left… And after what happened when you went back to the DMP…"

"Ah, dat was nothin'. Dose guys would never have killed me, dey just wanted to humiliate me. Dat was why dey cut off my hair."

"Checkmate said they stabbed you in the head–"

"Dey cut my skin as well as my hair, but it's okay."

"Didn't it scar you?"

"No. I can't be scarred."

"You can't…?"

Kiki ran her eyes over the linear scars under each of Mars's eyes and glanced at his hip area, where his clothing concealed the scar he had suffered after saving Kevin's life back in their days together at the DMP Academy.

"It's a long story, sweetheart, I don't wanna bore you," he assured her.

"It won't bore me," Kiki said, looking into Mars's eyes again.

"Anyways, it's not important," Mars replied, waving a hand in the air dismissively. "Let's just enjoy dis picnic, yeah?"

Mars grabbed up another sandwich, lifting it to his mouth, opening his jaws to eat it. He stopped just before the food reached his mouth, pulling his hand back and closing his mouth, frowning down at the sandwich.

"You know, I've been waitin' for dis tournament for almost three years, and in four days time, it's gonna all be over wid," he mused, poking a finger at the sandwich filling.

"Four days?" Kiki repeated, turning to Mars again.

"Yeah…" he said slowly, looking suddenly totally engrossed with the contents of his second sandwich.

"Mars?"

Kiki waited for Mars to respond to his name, but instead, he continued to pick at the filling of his sandwich.

"You can beat Kid Muscle, I know you can," she continued. "And then all you have to do is beat Kevin Mask. I know Kevin is really strong right now, but I know you can do it. I actually think he's scared of you, so that gives you an advantage, right?"

Mars slowly closed over his sandwich, placing it down to one side.

"Listen, Kiki, I just want you to know dat no matter what happens out dere tomorrow, dat I, uh…"

Mars looked down at the ground between himself and Kiki, scratching at his head as he tried to find the words to express his feelings.

"You don't have to say a word," Kiki whispered, crawling closer to him. "I understand."

"You do?" he asked, looking up to find that Kiki's nose was almost touching his.

"I love you too, Mars," she whispered, touching the tip of her finger to the tip of his nose.

"Come here, sweetheart!" he said, opening his arms.

Kiki gladly climbed onto Mars, wrapping her legs around his waist and wrapping her arms around his neck. She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as he moved his arms around her waist.

"I'm so glad you finally came back," she said softly. "Just promise me you'll never leave me again, Mars. No matter what."

Mars paled, glancing down at Kiki. He was silently glad that she still had her eyes closed, and could not see the sickened and horrified expressions dancing over his features.

Mars tilted his head back slightly, looking up at the sky overhead. In his mind, Mars knew that his last match against Kid Muscle in the final round of the Generation Ex tournament had not been entirely fair; between Kevin Mask and Kiki, Mars had been distracted towards the end of their battle, and he had always blamed his loss on that fact. But Mars had to admit that Kid Muscle had been a tough opponent, perhaps even the toughest Mars had ever faced. There was a chance that he could lose to Kid Muscle in their semi-final match, and be kicked out of the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown tournament the very next day.

Mars looked down at Kiki again as she sighed softly, snuggling closer to him. She looked so content and at peace; how could he possibly tell her the truth? How could he tell her that he had fought so hard to be allowed back to Earth after his training with the Hercules Factory, and that he had only been allowed back to compete in the tournament?

How could Mars even begin to tell Kiki that if he failed to win the Chojin Crown, he would be forced to leave Earth to be reassigned elsewhere?

* * *

Kid sat with his back to the sidewall of the hotel, his legs splayed out in front of him. He had often watched his friend Terry Kenyon throw small stones into old metal cans when he was troubled by something, and it had always looked oddly therapeutic. The casual way the Texan tossed the pebbles towards the can, and the resounding clang they made as they dropped into the can with pinpoint accuracy every time seemed to bring with it some sort of comfort in dire times.

Kid flung another stone towards the can, which he had sat a few feet in front of himself on the grass verge. The stone flew right past the can, landing some distance behind it, where it joined a sprawling selection of pebbles Kid had already thrown at the can. Missing every time was beginning to irk Kid, which really defeated the purpose of what he was doing in the first place, since he was trying to alleviate the stressful emotions running through his mind, not aggravate them.

Kid grabbed up another handful of rock chips from his side, and tossed another one at the can. This time the stone smacked into the side of the can, knocking it over. Kid sighed, hanging his head.

"I can't even get that right," he muttered to himself.

Kid looked down at the pebbles in his hand thoughtfully, before placing them down one by one at his side on the patio surface, lining them up into shapes. First he wrote the letter I, then the word love, then the letters R, O, X, A and N, before running out of stones. Kid studied his creation for a moment, realising that, phonetically at least, it read: "I love Roxanne". Then it occurred to Kid that he did not actually know how to spell Roxanne. Were there two Ns? Did it end in an E? Was it even spelt with an X? The word "rocks" was spelt "cks", after all.

Kid sighed again, feeling even worse than before. Not only had he made a mess of the simple task of throwing stones into the can, he could not even spell the name of the girl he loved. How pathetic was he?

The sound of a stone clanging into a metal can drew Kid's attention forward, where he saw that the can he had knocked over had been stood upright once more. As he watched it, another stone flew through the air, dropping into the can with that familiar clang that Kid loved so much.

Kid turned to his right, surprised to see Roxanne sitting next to him, her back against the wall, one leg spread out in front of her, the other bent up against her chest. In one hand she held a fistful of tiny stones, and the other was poised and ready to toss another projectile into the can.

"Hey Kid," she said without moving her eyes from the can. "I thought I might find you here."

The can clanged again as Roxanne effortlessly threw another pebble into it.

"Roxanne," Kid said, feeling twice as dumb as normal as he failed to think of anything else to say to her.

"Big day tomorrow, huh?" she said, throwing another stone into the can.

"Yeah, I gotta fight Mars again," Kid replied, glad that Roxanne had given him an opening to talk. "I never thought I'd ever have to fight him again after the last time. I mean, I know he said he would come back to fight me again, but I never thought in a million years that he actually would."

"Yeah, me neither, Kid," Roxanne agreed, throwing another stone into the can. "When someone tells you someone else is dead, you tend to believe them."

"Yeah, I guess Checkmate made a mistake," Kid said.

"Yeah."

Kid nodded his head, again hating himself because he could not say all the things that he wanted so badly to say to Roxanne. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for all the times he had behaved like an idiot, that he was sorry for all the times he had taken her love for granted, that he really had not realised just how precious she was to him until he actually lost her, that he hated himself for not standing up to his father two years ago when King Muscle had refused their marriage the first time, that just looking at her made his day seem more bearable, that the thought of life without her made him want to just curl up and die. Kid wished he were a poet, or a linguistic intellectual of some sorts, someone who could truly put into words just what he felt for Roxanne right then. He wanted to say something romantic, powerful, moving, memorable; but instead, he yet again said something stupid.

"If I never marry anyone, I'll just end up like Meat," he said. "And I don't want to spend the rest of my life standing outside the gates of Marie's house like an old pervert."

Roxanne paused, her hand hovering in the air ready to throw another stone at the can.

"You know Kid, what you just said was selfish, presumptuous and stupid," she said, slowly lowering her hand to her side and turning to face Kid, their eyes meeting for the first time that day. "First of all, you're not the only one who is hurting in this. You're not the one who was rejected by my family because you weren't good enough. Secondly, what makes you think I'm gonna live with my mom for the rest of my life, just because I didn't marry you? And finally, Meat isn't a pervert, and I happen to think it's really sweet that he still cares about my mom after all these years. Their story is the ultimate example of unrequited love."

"I feel unrequited right now," Kid moaned, hanging his head.

"Kid, do you even know what the word unrequited means?" Roxanne asked him.

"No, but if it describes how Meat feels about his chances of marrying your mom, then I think it describes how I feel right now."

"Interestingly, Kid, although what you said earlier was selfish, presumptuous and stupid, that, along with what you've just said just now, is actually really sweet."

"It is?"

Kid looked up sharply, daring to allow a hint of a smile to appear on his face as he met Roxanne's eyes.

"Kid, I've known you a long time, and I know that you don't exactly have a way with words," Roxanne said softly, smiling at Kid. "I know you can't always express yourself, but you don't always need to, because I know how you feel and I know what you mean. Whilst it might have sounded like you were saying that I should feel sorry for you because you were gonna spend the rest of you life watching me rot away in a rocking chair with a set of knitting needles in my hands, I know that what you actually meant was that you couldn't see yourself marrying anyone else, and you would never be able to forget me."

"I'm sorry, Roxanne," Kid said with a sigh. "I wish I could say all those fancy things that other men do, and I wish that I could be all dignified and honourable like Kevin Mask is, but I just can't."

"You wish you could be dignified and honourable like Kevin Mask is?" Roxanne repeated, grinning at the very thought. "Kid, have you been watching Kevin lately? His life is in an even bigger mess than yours!"

"It is?"

"Oh yeah!"

"I guess so. I wish he was my friend, then I could ask him to let me win the Chojin Crown."

"Don't you think you can beat him on your own merit?"

"I don't know any more Roxanne!"

Kid got to his feet, stomping over to the metal can and kicking it over in frustration. Roxanne quickly leapt up and jogged over to him, placing her hands on his shoulders as he buried his face in his hands.

"I still believe in you, Kid," she said softly.

"There's just so much at stake," Kid said, his voice muffled by his hands. "I just know I'll screw it up, I always screw up important things!"

Roxanne gripped her hands into Kid's shoulders as she tried to fight off the nagging thought in the back of her mind that Kid might not win the Chojin Crown after all.

"And now that Meat's stuck in hospital, I don't even have someone to help me through it," Kid added. "I've never fought without Meat in my corner before. The only time he wasn't really helping me in a match was when I fought Pumpinator, and I was losing until Meat came round and started helping me again. I don't know what I'll do without Meat, he always knows the right things to say and the right moves to try to beat an opponent."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Kid, you're a good wrestler, you've grown and learned so much, I doubt you even need Meat to tell you what to do any more," Roxanne said reassuringly.

"I guess so," Kid mumbled pessimistically.

"Kid, I just want you to know that no matter what happens tomorrow, I…" Roxanne said breathlessly. "I love you, Mantaro."

Kid slowly lifted his head, peering over his shoulder at Roxanne. The image of his face looking down at her blurred, as tears filled Roxanne's eyes. Upon seeing her sadness, Kid turned around to face her, pulling her into his arms.

"Oh, Kid!" she wailed, throwing her arms around his shoulders. "It's just so unfair! What will happen to us if you don't win?"

"Don't worry, Roxanne," Kid replied, trying to sound strong. "Because I will win. Losing the Chojin Crown is not an option for me."

Kid gently stroked one hand over Roxanne's hair as she sobbed into his neck, straining to bite back his own emotions as a tight lump formed in his throat.

"I'm gonna win the Chojin Crown, Roxanne," he said firmly. "And do you know why? I'm gonna win because I'm fighting for love. I'm fighting for my love for you, Roxanne. And as long as I love you, and as long as you love me back, there's nothing I can't do. Everything will work out just fine once I've been crowned the new champion of the Chojin Crown, I swear, Roxanne. We'll get married, and we'll live happily ever after, just like a proper prince and princess."

Roxanne tightened her hold of Kid, who slowly looked up to the sky, watching as white wisps of cloud flitted over the sun, which was sinking in the sky. It was past six in the evening, and in less than 24 hours, Kid's match against Mars would be all over, and he would know one way or the other if he would be advancing to face Kevin Mask in the final match of the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown.

Kid had always believed, deep down, that he could beat Mars in a rematch; but what if he could not do it? What if Kid failed to make it past Mars, failed to even make it to the final round of the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown? What would become of him then?

Only time would answer his questions, and as the sun sank lower and lower, Kid reluctantly admitted to himself that time was no longer on his side.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** It's Kid Muscle vs. Mars to decide who will advance to the finals to face Kevin Mask. There can be only one winner, and the loser stands to lose more than just his place in the final match. Will it be Kid Muscle, fighting for his father's respect and the right to marry his love Roxanne? Or will it be Mars, fighting to redeem himself in the eyes of the Muscle League and to become a Justice Chojin himself? And without anyone in their corners, will Mars and Kid spot the fatal danger of the ring they are fighting in before it is too late? **Chapter 28 – For Love**.

**A/N(2):** And now it's time to do something I thought I would never do. It sounds childish, I know, but I have to know: what do you think will happen next? For the record, I have already written the next chapter and I have a plan written for who wins the tournament and how, and I have no intentions of changing it, despite what anyone says, so don't worry about influencing the plot. I'm just curious. Do you think it will be Kid or Mars? And what will happen to the loser? Review and let me know!


	29. Lucretia's Farewell

Yeah, I know, this sort of stuff isn't allowed, but I don't care. I have invested a lot of time, effort, blood, sweat and tears into my fanfics over the last four months, and I'm beginning to think it has all just been a big waste of time. There are three things that make an Ultimate Muscle fanfic good on this site: yaoi, angst and comedy, and I can't write any of those three, and so my work has been doomed to be a failure from the start.

Looking at the storyboard for the remaining chapters of this fic all I can see is over-dramatised, mind-numbing crap. I did only intend my work here to be light entertainment, an easy read. But really, its just shallow, second-rate crap. I've half-written the next chapters of this and my other fic, but I really can't find the motivation to finish them. Everything I do just seems to be so hollow and one-dimensional, and, looking around at other works on this site, I truly do realise just what an amateur I am.

I have enjoyed my time here, and I do believe that the majority of my reviewers have been overly kind to me, and to them I say thank you. To those of you who have moaned and nit-picked and harassed me both on my DA account and through my hotmail address about minor details and inconsequential matters usually not even relating to my writing (you know who you are) I am sure this is a joyous occasion for you.

I'll still frequent this site, but only as a reader from now on. Thanks again to those who kindly supported me through my work.


	30. For Love

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who very kindly reviewed, I gave myself a swift kick up the arse and finished this chapter, the result of being lost in Frankfurt on a very cold night. Enjoy.

**Recap:** Kiki's finally got Mars back, and doesn't know what she would do if she lost him, but Mars didn't tell her that if he fails to win the Chojin Crown, he will be forced to leave Earth, Kid is harbouring doubts about his ability to win the Chojin Crown, but knows that he must win for Roxanne's sake.

* * *

**Chapter 28 – For Love**

"Wow, Doc, would you take a look at that! What sort of match can we expect here today?"

"Well Mac, as you can see, Jacqueline McMadd has brought in a ring that was especially designed with the finishing moves of both Mars and Kid Muscle in mind. As you can see, the ring surface and the area around the outside of the ring is all made of concrete, and as you maybe can't see, but I can tell you, the ring ropes have been loosened for extra elasticity."

"Of course Doc! The concrete ring and surroundings are perfect for Mars's Swallow Tail Shovel manoeuvre, and the extra elastic in the ropes will only add to the effectiveness of Kid Muscle's Muscle Millennium!"

"That's right, Mac. Fight fans, we'll be back after this short commercial break, when we'll be hearing from Jacqueline McMadd herself when she tells us all the rules of this unique upcoming semi-final match. Stay tuned, folks!"

"Are we off?"

"Yeah."

"What sort of sick bitch is Jacqueline McMadd anyway, Doc? Part of wrestling involves falling, both on the mat and outside of the ring, so lining the entire area with concrete is a dumb idea for a start, but extra elastic in the ropes? Is she insane?"

"I gotta feeling this match isn't gonna be suitable for the kids in the audience, Mac. Just think about it like this: yeah, the extra stretch in the ropes will allow Kid Muscle to launch himself harder and faster at Mars, but what happens when Mars hits the ropes at the other side? They'll stretch right out with even more force than before, and probably gouge right through Mars's brain. And what if either of them uses a high impact move like the Big Ben Bash? Landing on concrete from that height means instant brain mash too!"

"What about the Kinniku Buster?"

"Would you jump fifty feet in the air and then want to land on your ass on concrete?"

"Good point, Doc."

"Let's see how Jacqueline likes the fame she gets when one of the competitors dies today. Both Mars and Kid Muscle have a huge fan following. If one of them dies, she'll be held responsible for it."

"Welcome back, fight fans! Mac Metaphor here again, and my colleague Doc is on his way to talk with Jacqueline McMadd herself. Doc, are you there yet?"

Doc Nakano walked up to Jacqueline McMadd, pulling a face of disgust at her back. He sighed softly, straightening his tie and forcing on a smile before announcing his presence.

"Jacqueline, Doc Nakano here," he said, causing her to turn around. "What can you tell the fans about today's match?"

Jacqueline smiled at the camera, ignoring Doc's presence altogether.

"Good afternoon, fight fans," she said into the camera. "Today is the last semi-final match of the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown. Today we will see Kid Muscle take on Mars, to decide who will advance to face Kevin Mask in the final round. Will it be love or redemption?"

Doc arched his eyebrows, unable to hide his cynicism any longer,

"Kid and Mars will be fighting on a very special platform today, fans," Jacqueline continued, her eyes still locked on the camera. "As you can see, we have reinforced the ring with concrete to make this Mars's favourite type of ring. But of course, I'm a very fair lady, so I couldn't just tailor this ring to suit Mars's preferences. The ropes of this ring have been loosened and thickened, allowing them to be far more elastic and far more powerful than normal, for high speed launches. This means that any moves launched from the ropes will be especially fast, powerful and deadly, an advantage for Kid with his famous finishing move, the Muscle Millennium."

"Uh huh, I see…" Doc replied.

Jacqueline cast Doc a condescending smirk as he squeezed the knot of his tie and slowly and deliberately cleared his throat. She then turned back to the camera, smiling her sickeningly sweet "Jacqueline McMadd is an angel" smile at her viewing public. Jacqueline held her pose until her cheek began to twitch from the effort of her forced smile. She glanced down at Doc Nakano, but he was looking out at the ring and seemed to have forgotten that they were still on live television, remaining uncharacteristically silent.

Jacqueline prodded his shin with the toe of one booted foot in an attempt to draw his attention back to the situation at hand; but still he remained silent, his eyes still locked on the platform set to stage the day's events. Growling in frustration, Jacqueline turned back to the camera, putting on yet another of her award-worthy smiles.

"And now back to you at the commentary desk, Mac," she said.

"Unbelievable," Doc muttered as the camera moved off of him and Jacqueline.

"Oh get a grip, old man!" Jacqueline snorted, before turning on her heel and marching off.

* * *

Trixie wrung her cardigan in her hands, twisting the material so hard she began to distort the shape of one arm. She chewed at her bottom lip, inwardly cursing herself as she successfully ate off her lipgloss, which created an irritating wax coating on her teeth.

On her left side sat Kiki, who was wearing a pink Mars T-shirt and was staring up at the ring anxiously. On her right side sat Roxanne, who was wearing a blue Kid Muscle T-shirt and was staring up at the ring anxiously. Trixie was caught in the middle, in more ways than one.

Trixie wanted to say something to ease the tension in the air between her two friends, but could not think of anything appropriate to say. She had not thought that sitting in the middle of Roxanne and Kiki would have made her feel so awkward; she had only offered to do so to prevent any disastrous fallout from the ultimate result of the fight between Kid and Mars. But now Trixie felt obliged to say something, anything, if only to end the agonising silence that had grown around them.

Trixie sighed softly and quietly, her mind going blank from the pressure of trying to formulate an ice-breaking speech; but then suddenly an idea came to her of exactly what to say to help both of her friends – and even herself – feel much more relaxed.

Trxie opened her mouth to deliver her words of wisdom, only to squeal as an almighty bang shot through her ears, accompanied by a flourish of brightly coloured sparks. Further bangs followed the first as the pyrotechnics display continued to accompany the entrance of the first competitor.

"Well, y'all know what they say," Terry said ominously. "The first one in is always the loser."

Roxanne and Kiki both turned sharply to Terry, their eyes like saucers as they stared at him with expressions of concern and anxiety. Terry glanced at each of them in turn before looking at Trixie, who slowly folded her arms, arching her eyebrows as their eyes met.

"But I'm sure it don't mean nothin'," he added, shrugging his shoulders.

"I hope it does," Roxanne said quietly.

The others turned to see Mars walking down the ramp towards the ring, one fist raised above his head, a confident smirk on his face. He was dressed in the same ceremonial set of red wings he had worn to his last match against Kid Muscle.

"He's wearing the same outfit he wore when he lost to Kid Muscle in the Generation Ex tournament," Dik Dik pointed out.

"I guess he isn't a superstitious fella then," Wally mused.

"Or maybe he wants to turn a losin' outfit into a winnin' one," Terry suggested.

The others nodded their heads silently, watching as Mars climbed through the ropes and into the specially designed ring he was set to fight his semi-final match in.

"He sure looks confident," Terry added.

"And when has Mars ever looked anything other than confident?" a voice asked.

"Kevin Mask?" Terry yelped, turning to face Kevin as he joined the group in their front row seats.

"You sound surprised to see us," Lord Flash remarked, eying Terry over from his place at Kevin's side. "Surely even a simpleton like you can see that it is in Kevin's best interests to study today's match very carefully. After all, he will be facing the winner in his final match in three days' time."

Roxanne and Kiki both turned to look at Kevin Mask, each looking him over in a manner that made him straighten his back indignantly. However Kevin's discomfort was short-lived as the girls' attentions were brought back to the ring at the sound of Mars's entrance music ceasing and his associated firework display fizzling out. The cheers from the audience faded in intensity, the entire arena grower gradually quieter as Mars slowly paced over to one corner of the ring, where he leaned back against the corner-post, resting each of his arms on the ropes at either side of him. Slouched in this position, and smirking devilishly, Mars carried the aura of a man certain of victory; a sentiment not lost on those watching on.

As the silence around them intensified once more, Trixie again felt the need to say something to alleviate the ever-building tension. It had not escaped her notice that, during Mars's entrance, Kiki had been happily cheering her man on whilst Roxanne had been scowling furiously at Kiki, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Trixie sighed softly and quietly, her mind going blank from the pressure of trying to formulate an ice-breaking speech; but then suddenly an idea came to her of exactly the right thing to say to help both of her friends – and even herself – feel much more relaxed.

Trixie opened her mouth to deliver her words of wisdom, only to squeal as an almighty bang shot through her ears, accompanied by a flourish of brightly coloured sparks. As the grandiose pyrotechnic display raged on, Kid Muscle's entrance music blared through the arena, and the already deafening roar of the fans reached a fever pitch as Kid's silhouette became visible, advancing through the clouds of smoke from the fireworks.

A ripple of gasps of awe cascaded through the stands as Kid finally strode into clear view, dressed in a wrestling outfit that few in attendance truly appreciated the significance of.

"Looks like the kid decided to wear his daddy's old wrestlin' gear after all," Terry said.

"Yeah, it's just a shame that King Muscle refused to be Kid's corner-man for his match today," Dik Dik replied.

"What?" Roxanne echoed, rounding on Dik Dik. "You mean Kid actually asked his father to stand in for Meat? Even after all that that great big oaf has done to spoil Kid's happiness? Is he out of his mind?"

"Okay, okay!" Dik Dik replied, holding up both hands defensively as Roxanne seethed at him. "Don't shoot the messenger!"

"Kid ain't outta his mind, Roxanne," Terry explained. "Just desperate to win."

Roxanne blinked at Terry, who nodded his head to confirm that he meant what he had just said. Roxanne slowly and mechanically nodded her head in reply and then turned back to the ring as Kid stepped through the ropes.

Kid stopped by the ropes, looking across the ring at his opponent, who was still slouched, smirking, in one corner of the ring, his hawk-like eyes tracking Kid as he began to walk to his own corner. Once in his corner, Kid deactivated the lower red section of his mask, which had been shielding the lower half of his face from his nose downwards. Upon seeing him do this, Mars hauled himself upright, reaching one hand across his chest to his shoulder to unhook his wings.

In synchronisation with each other, Kid and Mars removed their red cloak and makeshift wings respectively, never moving their eyes from each other as they did so. Kid's music faded and the cheers of the audience died away as everyone anxiously awaited the toll of the ring-bell to signify the start of the fight.

"No matter what happens today girls, we'll all still be friends, right?" Trixie asked boldly.

She glanced between her two friends sat either side of her as she awaited an answer.

"If Kid loses his match today, my life will be as good as over," Roxanne eventually replied, her voice quiet but firm in the conviction of her words.

Trixie slowly nodded her head, turning cautiously to Kiki for her response.

"I want Mars to win today, of course I do, but if he loses, I won't be really upset. I'm just glad that I've got him back at last. If he doesn't make it into the Muscle League, I'm sure there are other things that he can do."

Trixie nodded her head again, feeling a little more optimistic about the whole ordeal. Trixie even dared to smile as she looked up at the ring again, where Kid and Mars were eying each other over as they paced back and forth across the ring. Just as Trixie began to relax, she heard something that set her nerves on edge once more.

Just as Trixie began to relax, Kevin Mask cleared his throat.

Trixie slowly turned towards Kevin, her eyes growing wider and wider as she awaited Kevin's reasoning for feeling nervous. As Trixie's eyes finally landed on Kevin's blue steel mask, she found that he was facing Dik Dik Van Dik. Trixie's eyes then narrowed into a squint as she studied Dik Dik's lips. Although she was not close enough to Dik Dik to hear his hushed words, she could gather enough of what he asked Kevin Mask by reading the gazelleman's lips.

"He's not staying if he loses, is he?" she saw Dik Dik ask.

Kevin shook his head. Dik Dik solemnly nodded his understanding. Trixie turned back to Kiki, only partially relieved to see that her friend had not heard or seen the exchange between Dik Dik and Kevin. Although it was a relief to Trixie that Kiki was still happy, a relief that she was still blissfully unaware of the pending heartache she would inevitably suffer if Mars failed to defeat Kid Muscle that day, it only heightened Trixie's anxiety when she thought of how Kiki would react at the end of the match if Mars lost.

Trixie gulped audibly, turning to Roxanne as she was no longer able to look at Kiki, her smiling face and glistening eyes as she gazed up at Mars in admiration and wonder suddenly becoming too much to bear for Trixie.

Roxanne was looking up at Kid, biting into one side of her lower lip, her hands clutched at her neck, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and anxiety.

Trixie could no longer look at Roxanne either. Unsure of where to turn her eyes, Trixie's mind was soon made up for her as the bell sounded to announce the start of the momentous meeting of the two top-ranking Chojin warriors in the ring.

Kid and Mars marched up to each other, stopping as they met in the centre of the ring. Mars held out a hand to Kid in what appeared to be a gesture of good sportsmanship. Kid nodded his understanding and reached out to shake Mars's hand; however the second before Kid took hold of Mars's hand, Mars lifted it sharply out of Kid's reach, pointing at Kid with his other hand and laughing. Kid paused, his hand still hovering where Mars's had been only moments ago, before slowly lifting his eyes to Mars's laughing face, his extended hand balling into a fist.

Kid took the first shot of the match, aiming a roundhouse punch at Mars's jaw; but Mars caught Kid's fist in the palm of his hand, closing his fingers around over Kid's hand. Mars grinned a cold and menacing grin at Kid before squeezing Kid's fist tightly, causing a series of cracking sounds to echo through the stadium. Kid promptly aimed a left jab at Mars, but again Mars caught Kid's fist in his hand. Kid tugged his arms sideways and inwards, forcing Mars's arms apart and forcing Mars to stumble forwards towards Kid. Kid leaned back and then shot forwards, smacking Mars's face with a sharp head-butt, momentarily stunning Mars.

Taking advantage of Mars's dazed state, Kid pulled Mars towards himself again, turning Mars around and gripping into Mars's hands as Mars finally released his hold of Kid's fists. Kid then hoisted Mars up, dropping him to the concrete ring-mat in a flawless German Suplex. Mars let out a groan as his head and shoulders crashed against the unforgiving concrete, rolling over to one side and reaching his hands up to his head and neck.

"Wowie, looks like the kid won't be needin' Meat for this here match after all!" Terry declared. "He's on fire!"

"Kid sure is putting up an impressive offence," Dik Dik agreed. "But it doesn't look like it's enough to impress King Muscle."

Dik Dik pointed up at the skybox the McMadds sat in, causing those around him to all look upwards expectantly. As usual, the three McMadds were all sat in a line along a table, with Jacqueline in the middle, her father and brother at either side of her. But this time the McMadds were accompanied by four further guests, two of whom sat next to Vance, whilst the other two sat next to Ikeman.

Next to Ikeman sat Buffaloman, and next to Buffaloman sat Robin Mask at one end of the table. At the other end sat Belinda Muscle, sitting next to her husband King Muscle, who was sitting back in his chair, his arms folded and his face darkened by the deep creases of a displeased scowl.

Dik Dik, Wally, Terry, Jaeger, Checkmate and Trixie all turned to Roxanne to gauge her reaction to this, only to find that she was staring up at King Muscle with wide eyes that expressed a mixture of fear and determination.

Inside the ring, Kid was continuing to dominate the match, holding Mars down with an ankle-lock. Mars, who was hissing and growling in pain, was slowly crawling across the concrete mat on his elbows, aiming for the nearest set of ring-ropes. Kid saw Mars's intentions and quickly yanked back, halting Mars's progress. Mars reached a hand towards the bottom rope regardless, stretching his fingers out in a desperate attempt to reach the rope. Kid yanked at Mars's ankle again, sending a fresh surge of pain through Mars's body and causing his body to jerk back from the rope.

Mars snarled in frustration, glowering over his shoulder at Kid, who merely smirked maliciously in return.

"Stupid son of a…" Mars muttered to himself.

Mars drew up his free foot, watching over his shoulder as he stomped it down again, aiming his heel and the force of his kick at Kid's face. Kid dodged the blow, but the effort and direction of movement he used to evade the attack caused him to momentarily lessen his hold on Mars's ankle, allowing Mars the break he needed to reach the ropes.

Mars grabbed the bottom ring-rope with one hand, clutching onto it tightly. Kid quickly spotted this and tugged Mars back with all his might; but Mars tenaciously kept his hold of the rope.

For a brief moment, both Chojins stared in a state of bemusement at the rope in Mars's hand, which had been stretched back almost halfway across the ring. It was such an unusual and unexpected sight, neither man knew what to do at first; but Mars quickly thought of an idea. With a cruel smirk on his face, Mars released the rope, pressing his body flat against the cold concrete surface of the ring.

The rope flew out of Mars's hand, shooting back to its original position and beyond, flexing outwards towards the audience. Mars quickly slid out of Kid's hold, grabbing his bewildered opponent and pulling him towards the rebounding ring-rope. Mars flattened himself to the concrete mat again as the rope bounced back, whistling over the top of his face towards Kid. Kid at last spotted the impending danger and, after letting out a short cry of surprise, he too dropped to the ground, the rope flying over him, just missing a collision.

"Huh?" Mars grunted, sitting up as he spotted Kid lying unharmed on the concrete in front of him.

Mars's face dropped and his pupils shrank as he realised what he had just done.

"Ah, nuts!" he cursed in the second before the rebounding rope hit him hard across his chest, forcing him to fall onto his back.

The interruption of Mars's body slowed the rope's bouncing, and, as Mars lay on his back hissing from the stinging injury it had left him with, the rope gradually came to a stop.

"Hmph!" Kid snorted, getting to his feet and dusting his hands off as he eyed Mars over.

Mars narrowed his eyes to thin gold slits as he glowered up at Kid Muscle, who was wearing the sort of cocksure smirk Mars himself was famous for sporting. Further angered by this, Mars viciously swung one leg at Kid's ankles, gasping in shock and exasperation as Kid nimbly skipped over his giant foot. The audience applauded appreciatively for Kid's confident and lithe manoeuvre, their gesture only serving to fuel Mars's anger.

"Wise guy, huh?" Mars sneered at Kid.

"Loser, huh?" Kid retaliated, mocking Mars's tone.

"Oh now you're askin' for it, Muscle!" Mars growled, getting to his feet.

"So quit talking and bring it on, Mars," Kid drawled, allowing Mars the opportunity to regain his footing.

"If dat's da way you want it, den so be it. Lemme teach you a few tricks I learned at a place we call "Da Academy"…"

Kid dropped into the special defensive stance Meat had recently taught him called the "Muscle Curtain", readying himself to block any attacks Mars was about to launch. Mars curled a lip at Kid's manoeuvre, eying him over in disgust.

"Let's see you laugh your way outta dis one, loser," Mars challenged.

"Didn't you hear me, Devil Chojin?" Kid retorted. "I said bring it on!"

"Heh, don't say I didn't warn ya…" Mars muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

Mars pointed at Kid with the index and middle fingers of his right hand, holding the pose for a brief moment before stabbing his fingers forward, through the narrow gap between Kid's forearms and into each of Kid's eyes. Kid cried out in shock and pain, instinctively moving his hands over his eyes, dropping his Muscle Curtain. Wasting no time, Mars punched Kid in the gut with his left fist, swinging his right elbow into Kid's back between his shoulder-blades as he doubled over. Kid fell forwards towards the concrete mat, his descent accelerated as Mars grabbed one of his feet, pulling it up into the air.

"Now let me show you how us "Devil Chojins" do an ankle lock," Mars said darkly.

Mars twisted Kid's ankle over the crook of his elbow, wrenching his foot around with both hands. Kid was still too dazed from his hard landing to retaliate, allowing Mars to apply his move with maximum severity, bending Kid's leg at the knee and pushing him down to the mat with a well placed foot to his back.

Kid winced in pain, but quickly hardened his resolve, growling in determination as he started towards the ropes. Crawling on his elbows, Kid managed to stretch a hand to the bottom rope, grabbing onto it and pulling it towards himself. He grabbed onto it with his other hand, holding on tight as he gritted his teeth in pain.

"Nice try, loser, but dat ain't gonna work dis time!" Mars shouted at him, before wrenching Kid's ankle further round.

Kid cried out in pain, every muscle in his arms twitching as he gripped into the rope, a layer of sweat bursting out over his face, making his mask suddenly slippery against his skin.

"Don't count me out just yet, you DMP freak!" Kid snarled, releasing the bottom rope with one hand and grabbing onto the middle rope.

Mars frowned over his shoulder curiously at Kid as he began to walk his hands up the ropes, continuing until he was holding onto the top rope with both hands, his weight sagging more and more against Mars's arm as his body rose through the air. As Kid turned himself over to face the sky, Mars began to realise what he was about to do to counteract Mars's ankle lock, but he was too late to defend himself. Kid drew back his free foot and then stomped downwards, kicking the heel of his boot into Mars's chin.

Mars staggered back, releasing Kid as his fangs pierced into the inside of his lower lip, drawing blood that left a dull copper taste in his mouth. As Mars turned his attention back to Kid, he gasped when he saw that Kid had perched himself onto the top rope, and was waiting to launch himself at Mars. Kid leapt up, bouncing off the rope towards Mars. Mars began to move to one side to avoid the attack, but stopped, his jaw falling open as Kid was launched upwards as well as forwards, with tremendous speed, flying up and over Mars's head.

Mars grinned to himself, leaping up into the air himself. He dropped down, cutting out a chunk of concrete from the centre of the ring itself with his Swallow Tail Shovel and then kicked it upwards to meet Kid on his flailing descent.

Mars watched as Kid fell downwards and the concrete divot flew upwards, a vicious collision seemingly imminent; but Kid had a plan. Mars's smile dropped from his face as a blue light flared around Kid Muscle, and the burning symbol of Ultimate Muscle shone out from his forehead. Every muscle in Kid's body bulged outwards, surging with raw power and energy. Kid spun around in the air and drove both heels into the approaching lump of concrete, shattering it effortlessly.

Mars quickly sheltered his head with both arms as shards of high-speed concrete rained down all around him. As he removed his arms again, he mouthed out a curse of frustration as Kid landed on his shoulders, flinging him over in a Frankensteiner, battering his body against the broken concrete of the ring.

Mars quickly scrambled down into the crater he had created in the ring in an attempt to buy himself some time to recover and to plan a strategy to retaliate, but Kid grabbed both his ankles, hoisting him back and up. Kid began to spin around, spinning Mars around him by his ankles, gradually building in speed.

"I don't have time to waste fighting you again, Mars!" Kid shouted as he spun Mars around. "I have to prepare for my fight against Kevin Mask in three days' time, so I hope you can understand that I have to finish this one right now!"

Kid swung Mars upwards, releasing his ankles, sending him spinning up through the air. Kid jumped up onto the top rope, catapulting himself up after Mars. Mars tried to right himself as he flew aimlessly through the air, but before he could do so, Kid grabbed him and set him up into the Kinniku Buster.

"Ain't we been here before, Kid?" Mars growled, slipping out of the move and reversing it.

"Oh no you don't!" Kid argued, slipping out before Mars could lock his head into place.

Mars quickly grabbed his gold visor, pulling it down over his eyes. Kid's eyes widened as he saw Mars's headdress turn yellow and come to life around him. Mars rounded on Kid, and the two ducked and dodged each other as they fell towards the ring, eventually separating as Kid chose to land by one corner of the ring, whilst Mars bounced off the top rope, using it like a trampoline to launch himself upwards again.

Kid tilted his head, studying Mars as he shot upwards through the air like an arrow, his arms and legs tucked in at his sides to make his body as aerodynamic as possible.

"Well, Meat isn't here to help me this time," he sighed. "And these ropes were designed to help me win. Mars has already used the concrete against me, now it's my turn to use the advantage Jacqueline gave me in this match."

Kid ran across the ring, throwing himself at the ropes.

"Muscle Millennium!" he yelled as he fell back against the ropes, stretching them out as Mars began his descent.

Kid fell back on the overly elastic ropes, tensing as they slowly tightened behind him. As the ropes began to fling Kid forwards again, Mars's falling form neared the centre of the ring, the perfect set-up to deliver a lethal Muscle Millennium that would once more secure Kid a victory over the determined ex-DMP Chojin.

Kid grinned coldly as he caught the frightened look in Mars's eyes, which seemed to glow out from the shadow of his Mask of Madness. Kid grabbed Mars's arms and speared his head into Mars's back, shooting the pair towards the opposite set of ropes with deadly speed and force.

A flash of light illuminated the duo, blinding the spectators, followed shortly by the sickening sound of the ropes snapping from their posts, one by one from the force of the impact. A silence fell over the stadium as the bodies of the two warring Chojins fell to the concrete floor outside the ring, a cloud of dust shrouding them from view.

"No…" Kiki whimpered, her head still turned away from the ring, tears in her eyes.

"The force of that collision will have been enough to kill Mars, you know," Dik Dik solemnly announced.

"Dik Dik!" Trixie snapped, smacking him with her handbag. "How can you be such an insensitive jerk at a time like this?"

"I'm so glad Kid won!" Roxanne sighed, tears slipping from her eyes as a smile of relief spread across her face. "What does King Muscle have to say about that?"

Roxanne folded her arms and tilted her chin upwards defiantly, looking up at the skybox where King Muscle was sitting with his wife, the McMadds and his fellow Muscle League Legends. Roxanne watched as the king stood abruptly, his bottom lip protruding, his eyes narrowed beneath the shadow of his furrowed brow, his chair falling down behind him.

Belinda leapt up at his side, looking rather as though she were pleading with him over something, but he ignored her cries, turning his back on her to come face-to-face with Ikeman McMadd, who was also standing, wearing the sort of grin a Cheshire cat would be proud of.

King Muscle swung out an arm, knocking Ikeman down over the long table he had been sat at, kicked his fallen chair aside and marched out of the skybox, leaving Belinda sobbing his wake.

Roxanne frowned in confusion, her blood running cold through her veins as the audience began to applaud the victor of the match. She slowly lowered her large, round brown eyes to the ring, gulping and turning pale at what she saw.

The loser lay facedown, surrounded by medics, where he had landed outside the ring. The winner had climbed back up into the ring, and was standing at the edge of the crater in the concrete mat, one fist raised above his head, a proud smirk on his face.

Roxanne head suddenly felt unnaturally light on her shoulders, and she swayed slightly on her feet, relieved when Trixie curled a steadying arm around her shoulders. She turned to look up at her friend, who looked as shocked as she felt. Waiting for an explanation, all Trixie was able to provide Roxanne with was a nod of her head, aimed in the direction of the giant monitor mounted high in the stadium, which was showing a slow-motion replay of the final moments of the match.

Kid had been executing a flawless Muscle Millennium on his opponent, his hands holding Mars's arms out behind his back, his head buried into the base of Mars's spine, driving Mars's body towards the ropes. But as the flare of blue light created by the force and energy of Kid's trademark finisher engulfed the duo, Mars swung his legs upwards, grabbing Kid's hands at his back and flipping himself over, driving his knees into Kid's back and pulling Kid's arms out behind him, effectively reversing the Muscle Millennium.

As the giant image of Kid being slowly squashed between Mars's body and the ropes played out on the screen, Roxanne began to sob and tremble.

"No!" she wailed, grabbing onto the steel railing with both hands. "No…"

Jaeger pushed his way over to Roxanne's side, studying her carefully before moving his eyes to Trixie.

"Go check on Kid," Trixie whispered to him.

"Ja," he agreed with a nod of his head.

Jaeger leapt over the railing, sprinting over to the team of medics who were loading Kid's body onto a stretcher. Terry Kenyon hurried after him, followed shortly by Wally Tusket, Checkmate and then Dik Dik Van Dik. Trixie watched them until Terry raised one arm in the air, giving her a thumbs-up gesture to tell her that Kid would survive. Nodding her understanding, Trixie moved closer to Roxanne, touching her hands to Roxanne's shoulders.

"Kid's gonna be alright, Roxanne," she said softly.

"But I'm not," Roxanne muttered, her head hanging low beneath her arms, which were draped over the railings. "Now that old bastard will never let us get married."

"Don't say that, Roxanne!" Trixie said firmly, gripping her fingers into Roxanne's shoulders. "This is just a minor setback! Don't you worry I'll find us a way out of this. You will marry Kid Muscle, I promise you, Roxanne!"

Roxanne slowly stood up, groaning as she sighted Mars making his way towards them.

"I have to go now," she grumbled, pushing Kiki roughly down into her seat and stepping over her.

Kiki yelped in shock, watching with wide eyes as Roxanne trudged along the front row, before heading back up the aisle towards the backstage area.

"Looks like it's just you an' me, squealer," Mars said gruffly, stopping in front of Kevin Mask at the railings.

"Indeed it does, scarface," Kevin tightly replied. "I look forward to showing you once and for all who the better man is."

"Hey Mask, didn't nobody tell you?" Mars asked darkly. "Dis tournament ain't about who da better man is, it's about who da better wrestler is. I hope you an' no pants here have been trainin' hard, cause otherwise you ain't got a hope in hell of beatin' me."

"We'll see about that, scarface," Kevin growled.

"Mars."

Mars turned around at the sound of his name, nodding his head respectfully as he saw Buffaloman approaching.

"And so there you have it, fight fans!" Jacqueline McMadd said dramatically, leaping between Mars and Kevin. "With Kid Muscle no longer a contender in the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown, the fight has come down to honour and redemption, forces obviously much stronger than love–"

"Ah, can it!" Mars snapped irritably.

Jacqueline hesitated, glancing at the camera with its blinking red light that informed her that they were still on live television all over the world, before turning her eyes to Mars, blinking up at him in shock.

"He said shut-up," Kevin explained after a tense moment of dead air had passed. "And whilst you're at it, might I suggest that you also bugger off?"

Jacqueline mouth formed an o-shape as she turned to Kevin, her eyes widening further still in an expression of her utter disbelief at what was transpiring.

"Believe it or not, you stupid little girl, this tournament isn't actually all about you!" Lord Flash spat venomously

"In fact, this tournament isn't about you at all," Kevin added.

"It's about wrestlin'," Mars put in.

"It's about revenge!" Lord Flash said.

"It's about honour," Kevin said.

"It's about redemption," Mars said.

"But above all…" Lord Flash began.

"It's about us," Kevin and Mars said in unison.

"Sell that slogan to your fans!" Lord Flash sneered, turning towards the camera.

"Train hard, Mask," Mars said to Kevin. "I like a challenge."

"Then you had better train hard too, scarface," Kevin returned. "Because I want my victory to be a glorious one, not just the result of a match that only lasted all of two minutes."

"You know you can always count on me to put on a good performance, Mask."

"Indeed I do."

Mars turned his back on the others, and, accompanied by Buffaloman, made his way back to ring, and back up the aisle to the locker rooms backstage. Jacqueline turned back to the camera, her mouth still slightly open and the whites of her eyes still prominent from her startled expression.

"Go to commercial…" she said numbly.

The cameraman obediently switched the camera off, leaving Jacqueline to wander listlessly from the ringside area.

Behind her, Kiki and Trixie were looking at each other in silence, each trying to gauge the other's thoughts.

"I sure hope Roxanne's okay," Kiki eventually said.

"She will be," Trixie said firmly. "And she will still marry Kid. This is a harder way of doing things, but I can still make it work. And at least this way you get to keep Mars, right?"

"That's assuming Mars can beat me," Kevin scoffed, brushing past the girls, followed at his heels by his trainer.

Kiki watched Kevin go, before turning back to Trixie.

"You know, that day in the diner, when you first said that you had an idea for how we could get Kid and Roxanne back together?" she began. "Well, I never thought, not even in my wildest dreams – and I do have some pretty wild dreams sometimes – I never, ever would have thought that any of this would have happened. Can you believe all the crazy things that have happened since then?"

Trixie slowly shook her head.

"I get a feeling the craziness isn't over just yet, Kiki," she said solemnly. "It won't be over until this tournament finally ends and Kid and Roxanne finally get married."

"I guess so," Kiki agreed. "Once the Chojin Crown is over and Kid and Roxanne are married, nothing else crazy could possibly happen, right?"

* * *

**Next Chapter: **Needless to say, the Kinniku's are furious about Kid's loss, but Kid tries to reason with them when he asks his father one more time if he can marry Roxanne. **Chapter 29 – Dealing with the Past**.


	31. Dealing with the Past

**A/N:** A big thanks to all those who have taken the time to read and review this humble little fic, you have given me the motivation to keep going when inspiration and morale have been low. You all especially made me smile when I read you predictions for the outcome of this fic. It's hard to look at my own work objectively, and it was insightful to see just how many different opinions there were.

And yes, I do quote the film_ Moulin Rouge_ in this chapter. Mainly because Meat is like Toulouse in so many ways…

**Recap:** In an unusual wrestling ring with excessively elastic ropes and a mat of concrete, Mars defeated Kid Muscle to advance to the final round, leaving King Muscle furious and Roxanne devastated.

* * *

**Chapter 29 – Dealing with the Past**

Meat sighed softly, watching his hands as he twiddled his thumbs. The hospital ward was uncharacteristically quiet, and the muted drill of Kid lightly snoring in his bed was beginning to grate on Meat's already fragile and frayed nerves. It was well past midnight, and the nurses had switched off the main lights in the ward, meaning that the only remaining source of the light in the long, narrow ward came from the exterior hallway, shining through the glass doors at the very top of the ward. Someone had even drawn the curtains over the window, blocking out the moonlight.

Kid snorted suddenly, an action that sent Meat's heart into his throat. His head jerked up and he fixed his eyes onto Kid, watching as his protégé choked on something invisible, before settling back down to sleep peacefully once more. Meat smiled affectionately at Kid, relieved that it had not been anything major that had disturbed his slumber.

Meat was extremely glad that the student doctor had misplaced the decimal point on the suggested dosage of morphine for Kid earlier, sending Kid into a comatose state; had Kid been awake, he would only have had to suffer the very same dilemma Meat was warring with right then. Meat's small smile dropped away as his mind forced the darkness of that nagging thought back to the forefront of his thoughts: the Muscle League swore by the Power of Friendship, and Kid Muscle was certainly not lacking in friends; so where were all his friends now, when he needed them the most?

During all his victories, all his moments of glory, all his great achievements, Kid's friends had happily cheered him on, had been proud to be seen by his side. But now, in Kid's lowest moment of his life so far, as he lay battered, bruised and broken in a hospital bed, having lost his placing in the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown tournament, feeling lost, vulnerable, weak and in desperate need of reassurance and support, where were his friends?

Where was Terry Kenyon, Meat wondered? Terry may not have liked Kid at first, but since Kid's impromptu match against Boa Conda, Kid and Terry had become good friends, friends who had stood by each other through every challenge they had faced. Where was Terry now that Kid was no longer the top dog in the IWF?

Where was Wally Tusket? Kind-hearted Wally, who had always supported Kid, who had even sacrificed himself to show Kid the way to victory against some of his toughest opponents. Even a visit from Wally's mother or sister would not have gone amiss; had not Dorothy always had a crush on Kid?

Where was Dik Dik Van Dik? Where was Checkmate? Where was Jaeger? Where was Trixie? Where was Kiki?

Where was Roxanne?

Where was Belinda Muscle?

Where was King Muscle?

Meat sighed again, his eyebrows drawing together in a frown. Conspicuous by their absence, Meat was growing increasingly suspicious of the Kinniku family, Kid's friends and even the Muscle League itself. What could possibly be stopping any one of them from visiting? Even just one other visitor, just someone to break the endless silence, someone to talk to, someone to confide in.

"Meat?"

Meat screamed in shock as something touched his shoulder, his chair tipping back. He hovered for a moment on the back two legs of the chair, his arms flailing at his sides as he tried to regain his balance, before the chair eventually fell back hard, pulling Meat with it.

"Marie?" he yelped, as he looked up at the woman leaning over him.

"I thought I would find you here," Marie replied, holding both hands out towards him.

Meat gladly took hold of her hands, allowing her to aid him back to his feet. Meat tried to hold onto her hands after he had returned to an upright position, but Marie pulled her hands from his, picking his chair up off the ground and replacing it to its rightful position by Kid's head. Meat watched her quietly pull over another chair, positioning it next to Meat's.

"Poor Kid," she said softly, leaning over the bed to touch a hand to Kid's forehead.

"Yeah," Meat agreed, his face twitching involuntarily as he looked over at Kid's face for himself.

Despite medical advice to the contrary, Meat had insisted that Kid keep his mask on. The old rubber relic of Kinniku heritage was badly stained with both blood and sweat, torn in several places, badly stitched in others from previous repairs Meat had made and it had come loose at one side; but it still concealed Kid's features from the world, protecting more than just Kid's future as a wrestler.

"How is everybody else?" Meat asked cautiously, shifting his eyes to Marie as she stepped back from Kid's side.

Marie slowly sat down into the seat furthest from Kid's head, staring at Meat with wide eyes. Meat felt his stomach hit the floor as he saw the look on her face; it seemed that things were much worse than he had anticipated. He climbed up onto the seat nearest Kid, watching Marie as he slid back to rest against the backrest, deciding that he would probably soon need all the help he could get to remain upright.

"Where is everybody else, Marie?" he asked in a low voice.

"Well, Roxanne is back at home with her friend Trixie, and Suguru, Belinda and Mayumi are back at their hotel, I think," Marie slowly replied. "I took Roxanne back home because I thought it was the best place for her right now. Trixie volunteered to stay with her, and I came back here to check on Kid. And you, Meat. Are you okay?"

"Me?" Meat echoed. "I'm just worried about the kid. Did you talk to Suguru at all?"

"He isn't talking to anyone right now, Meat," Marie whispered. "I have a very bad feeling about all of this. I don't see how anyone can come out of this smiling."

"Yeah, I know exactly what you're saying," Meat grumbled, looking down affectionately at Kid.

"But at least we have each other."

Meat froze as he felt Marie touch her hand to his. He almost could not believe that she had done it, to the point that he eventually had to look down at his hand for confirmation. As Meat saw that Marie had indeed placed her hand over his, he slowly looked up into her eyes, smiling as their eyes met.

"I just want what's best for Kid," Marie added, rubbing her hand over Meat's.

"Me too," Meat agreed, his smile widening. "Me too."

* * *

Kid stubbornly gripped the pen in one hand, biting back his anger as he watched his hand scrawl out a signature that looked nothing like his own. His vision briefly blurred, but several hard blinks of his eyes soon righted it again.

"Sir, I really don't think you're quite ready to leave our care just yet," the doctor said again as Kid pushed his release papers across the desk towards him.

"I have to go," Kid insisted.

"Even superhuman wrestlers like yourself need medical attention every once in a–"

"I don't care."

Kid turned his back on the doctor and began to slowly limp his way towards the main doors of the hospital. He felt awful, worse than he ever had in his entire life of twenty-one years, but he was determined to continue on with his mission.

Kid ignored the nagging voice in the back of his mind that kept telling him that he really should have woken Meat, who he had found asleep at his side when he had awoken that morning. But Kid had no idea how Meat felt about his loss the previous day; he could be angry, disappointed, upset, or even all three. Kid needed a friend right then, he needed someone to support him through what lay ahead of him, and Meat had always been there for him in the past. It was just typical that the first match he had fought without Meat, he had lost. What did that say for his abilities as a wrestler?

Kid shouldered his way through the main doors, growling in anger at the pain that seared through his body. He did not even know the exact extent of his injuries; all he could remember was being given a rather large injection from a teenage boy in a white coat. Everything else after that was gone from his mind.

Kid could not even remember how he had lost to Mars.

Kid staggered across the road outside the hospital, ignoring the blares of car horns as drivers were forced to slam on their brakes and swerve to miss him. In a stroke of blind luck, none of the vehicles came anywhere close to hitting Kid, even though several of them did collide with each other. Despite the trail of havoc he had created behind him, Kid kept his head down and kept going.

Although Kid was unfamiliar with the city, he did not need directions to find his way to his destination. He needed to see his father, and he knew that his father was staying at the Tower Hotel; and as the name of the hotel suggested, the building was a gigantic tower that loomed high above all other buildings in the city, making it easily visible from any vantage point. All he had to do to get there was to aim himself in the general direction of the giant tower.

As he walked, Kid replayed his fight with Mars in his head, trying over and over to find some sort of explanation for what had happened. The last thing he could clearly remember was locking Mars into the Muscle Millennium. He had been flying so fast towards the ropes at the other side of the ring, he could not remember actually seeing anything after that; although he could vaguely remember the sensation of Mars's weight slipping from his hands and shifting to his back, immediately before a moment of intense pain searing through his body before he blacked out.

Kid sniffled, silently cursing himself as he realised that he was crying. He was so tired and weak, he tried to excuse his excessive sorrow on his physical state. Surely Mars had cheated somehow. How else could he have pulled off a victory against Kid at such a moment? After all, the Muscle Millennium was invincible, was it not?

Kid remembered waking up for a few minutes as he lay on the stadium floor outside of the ring. He had been surrounded by a team of paramedics, who were in the process of loading him onto a stretcher. Meat had asked him how he felt, and he had muttered something about feeling sleepy, shortly before noticing that someone was repeatedly stabbing something into his left thigh. Kid touched a hand to the bruised and swollen area on his leg at that thought, realising than that the reason he had not felt any pain following the match was because someone had been loading him up with painkillers.

Kid shoved his hands roughly into the front pocket of his hooded sweater, turning off the city streets to walk through a small park. As he crossed the bridge that spanned the giant pond there, a child pointed at him in awe, recognising him as Kid Muscle the IWF wrestler. Kid ignored the child as best he could, not wishing for anyone else to tell him that he was a loser right then. He was certain that he would hear that line often enough over the next few hours as he tried to reason with his father.

But what would his father say? What would his mother say? What would Meat say?

What would Roxanne say?

Kid sighed, shaking his head as more hot tears slipped from his eyes, turning cold as they ran down his cheeks on both the interior and exterior of his mask. Would Roxanne even want a loser like him now? Whether or not Roxanne still cared for him, Kid decided that he had to do this. He had to confront his father, and he had to stand up for his own love for Roxanne. It was time he stopped acting like the spoilt child of royalty he hated being branded as, and started acting like the man who he really wanted to be; the man who was worthy of Roxanne's love.

Kid stopped at the entrance to the Tower Hotel, looking up at the seemingly endless rows of windows above him. Behind one of those windows was his father, all he had to do now was find out which one.

* * *

Belinda paced back and forth, wringing her hands together nervously. She was not entirely sure what concerned her more: her husband's anger or her son's welfare. She wanted nothing more than to run to the hospital, but King Muscle had made it quite clear to all that no-one was to venture anywhere near Kid but Meat.

Belinda stopped halfway across the room, smiling at the irony of the situation she now found herself in. In her time of need, she had turned to the one person she had detested and resented all her life.

But, Belinda thought to herself as she began her pacing again, where was Marie? How long did it take to get an update on Kid's condition? Granted, she had gone to the hospital in the middle of the night, and probably had not been allowed access to Kid until visiting hours that morning, but surely she should have returned by now?

Belinda glanced nervously at the clock, which told her it was now ten past ten in the morning, a whole seventy minutes into visiting hours. Surely that was long enough to get in to see Kid, get an update on his health and return to the Tower Hotel.

"Oh my little Mantaro…" Belinda whispered to herself. "Oh, Mantaro!" she yelped, as Kid suddenly burst through the door of her hotel room, staggering in.

"Mom?" he responded, squinting at her.

"Mantaro!"

Belinda ran across the room to her son, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him tightly. She almost regretted hugging her son so fiercely when he began to lean his weight on her, using her to support his weak and injured body.

"Mantaro, what are you doing here?" she groaned, staggering back towards the vanity table where she lowered her son into the chair facing the mirror.

"Have to see dad," Kid replied breathlessly.

Kid's neck went limp beneath the weight of his head, and he lolled forwards, his forehead stopping mere inches from a sharp collision with the edge of the vanity table.

"Mantaro, you're badly hurt!" Belinda shrieked, gripping her hands into Kid's large upper arm. "You should be in a hospital, where medical professionals can tend to your wounds!"

"Have to see dad," Kid said again, holding his breath as he shifted all his energy into lifting his head up.

Kid started as he locked eyes with his own reflection, his mother gasping and turning away from the mirror at his side.

"I look awful," he mumbled. "Where's dad at?"

"He's out on the balcony, Mantaro, but he's still in a very, very bad mood, it's probably best if you leave him be for now–"

"Signed out of hospital. Walked all the way across town. Climbed twelve flights of stairs. Need to speak to dad."

"You climbed twelve flights of stairs? Why didn't you take the lift?"

"Couldn't wait for lift. Had to keep moving. Have to keep moving. Have to talk to dad. Very important. Must do it now."

Kid placed one hand on the vanity table and one hand on the back of his chair, pushing the chair back and pushing himself up into a standing position once more.

"Mantaro, please, now is not a good time to talk to your father about anything," Belinda pleaded. "And if you're thinking of going in there and talking to him about that girl of Marie's, you really must be mad. That evil DMP Chojin must have hit you very hard on the head if you're even thinking about such a thing right now, and I…"

Belinda slowly stopped talking, her bottom jaw slowly falling away from her face as she watched her son stagger and stumble towards the floor-length curtains, which were drawn over the double doors to the balcony. She reached out a hand towards him as he tugged at the curtains, pulling them apart to reveal the foreboding silhouette of King Muscle, standing with his back to them, looking out across the city.

"No…" she whispered, taking a step forwards.

Belinda had intended to run over to stop her son, but she stopped herself as he yanked open the doors and her husband turned on the spot, narrowing his eyes as they landed on Kid.

"I've been expecting you, Mantaro," King Muscle said in a low voice. "Come out here. And shut the door behind you, I don't want your mother to hear what I have to say."

Belinda yelped indignantly, but both men ignored her. Kid stepped out onto the balcony, and King Muscle slammed the doors shut, blocking out their voices from her. She dropped to her knees, clasping her hands at her chest as tears began to blur her eyes.

"This is all Marie's fault!" she growled.

On the other side of the balcony doors, Kid stood before his father, trying his best to look strong and determined, despite the fact that every gust of wind that whipped at his back was almost enough to knock him off his feet in his weakened state.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Mantaro," King Muscle said solemnly. "You have shamed the Kinniku family name. Not only did you lose your match yesterday, you lost your match to a member of the DMP. He's just a first generation wrestler who came out of nowhere. Even a loss to Kevin Mask would have been more bearable than this. There are many reasons why you lost, but the reason that bothers me the most is your band of friends, who have hindered your training instead of helping it, distracted you instead of encouraging you. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what must happen now, but since you appear to be drugged up on painkillers, like some sort of miserable, spineless fool, I'll tell you again. For the record though, I never took a painkiller in my entire life, but really, right now, there is nothing you could do that could make me hate you more. You are nothing to me right now. You are a loser, you are a quitter, you are a slacker and above all, you are the single biggest disappointment to me, your mother, your family, and to the entire wrestling community. Are you listening to me?'

Kid nodded his head to confirm that he was indeed hearing everything his father was saying to him.

"Good. I've spoken to Robin Mask, and he's agreed to take you back at the Hercules Factory, where you will undergo intensive and extensive training. You will train there for three years, at the end of which, you will be re-evaluated and relocated to another planet. If you can prove yourself to be of use there, I shall reconsider letting you back to Muscle Planet to become king. Right now Mantaro, I can't ever see myself willingly passing the throne over to a useless waste of space like you."

"Are you finished?" Kid asked quietly.

"What?"

"Are you finished?"

King Muscle frowned at Kid curiously, obviously surprised by Kid's reaction to his speech.

"For now, yes," he eventually answered. "Why, do you have something to say? Something that is actually worth saying? Something that is actually worth my listening to?"

"I understand that you're upset and angry, and I know I messed up. But I still love Roxanne. And I still want to marry her. I came here to ask you for your consent."

"You did what?"

"If you don't give me your consent, dad, I'm going to marry Roxanne anyway. Even if it does mean that I can't be king of Muscle Planet. I don't about any of that any more."

"Obviously those drugs have gone to your head boy, do you even realise what you're saying?"

"I've given this a lot of thought, and this is definitely what I want to do."

"And so, stubbornly and selfishly, you are going to do what you want to do. You are still the prince of Muscle Planet boy, you have responsibilities and a duty to your people. You can't just walk away from that because of some loud-mouthed, bad-tempered girl!"

"Roxanne isn't loud-mouthed and bad-tempered, she's fun, and she's smart, and she's strong and I love her."

"Need I remind you how that insolent girl spoke to me during your match against Bone Cold? She doesn't even like you, you stupid boy!"

"I'm not stupid, dad. And there's nothing you can do to change my mind."

King Muscle slowly nodded his head.

"I see," he said. "You would rather be with this girl than do what is right. You have chosen her over me, your own father. You have chosen her over your poor old mother. You have chosen her over your entire family, your unique and respectable heritage. You have chosen her over the throne of Muscle Planet and all its people."

"That's right," Kid agreed.

"Kid!"

King Muscle and Kid turned towards the balcony doors as Meat leapt through them, glancing back and forth between father and son.

"Kid, why didn't you wake me?" Meat wailed, hurrying over to Kid's side.

"Your timing is perfect, Meat," King Muscle said smugly. "Kid, will you now explain to Meat why he has to return to Muscle Planet immediately, where he will be tried for failing in his duties as guardian to the royal Kinniku family, or would you like me to do it for you?"

"What?" Kid yelped, looking down at Meat with wide eyes of fear.

"It was Meat's duty to guide you through your career until you took the throne as king," King Muscle explained. "And if you abdicate to marry that girl, Meat will have failed. Under the laws of Muscle Planet, he must be tried for treason."

"What?" Kid wailed.

"You chose, Mantaro Kinniku," King Muscle growled. "Meat's life or the girl as your wife. You have until the day after the final round of the Chojin Crown to come up with your answer."

King Muscle shouldered his way through the balcony doors, marching straight through the hotel room and out into the hall beyond. Kid watched his father go, catching sight of Marie cradling his sobbing mother in her arms by the hotel door.

"Meat, is that true?" Kid asked once his father had disappeared from sight, turning back to Meat.

"Yeah, Kid, I'm afraid it is," Meat said with a sigh. "But listen Kid, if you think that givin' up the throne to be with Roxanne is the right thing to do, then you should do it."

"But what will happen to you if I do?" Kid whined.

"I'll go on trial, and I'll be sentenced to…"

"Sentenced to what?"

"Well, there are two choices, it just depends on how lenient the jury are."

"What are the two choices?"

"Life in prison or…"

"Or?"

"Well, death."

"Death? What? But they can't do that to you! Not after all you've done for my family!"

Meat turned to look over his shoulder, watching Marie and Belinda for a moment before turning back to face Kid.

"Kid, stop bein' so tall for just a minute, yeah?" he whispered.

Kid obediently knelt down in front of Meat, bringing his face level with his manager's.

"Kid, I gave up on love to do what your father wanted me to do," Meat whispered to him. "It was the most painful and the hardest thing I ever had to do. In some ways, I think I'd be better off dead anyway. Go with Roxanne. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine no matter what. There's no point in both of us bein' miserable. At least you have a chance to be happy here."

"You want me to betray my father's wishes?"

"If it's what you have to do, then do it. Don't spend the rest of your life thinkin' about the chances you missed like I do. Kid, the greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. Trust me."

Kid blinked blankly at Meat, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing. He wanted to be with Roxanne more than anything, but he had not bargained on it affecting Meat like this; could he really stand by and let Meat suffer – yet again – for the selfish desires of the Kinniku prince?

But what else could he do?

"I have to give my dad an answer the day after Kevin and Mars fight," Kid told Meat.

"I'll come with you, Kid," Meat replied, nodding his head firmly. "We'll do it together. You can tell him that you've thought about it, but your mind's made up. You can tell him that, even if it means leavin' the Kinniku family, you're willin' to do it, because Marie is the reason you breathe, the reason you wake up every morning, the reason you wanna carry on in life."

"Roxanne."

"Right."

"You said Marie."

"I did?"

Meat laughed nervously, scratching a hand at the back of his head.

"Just a slip of the tongue, sorry about that, Kid!" he said. "But don't you worry about it, I'll be there for you."

Kid sighed, turning to look into the hotel room as Marie helped his mother onto the edge of the bed. Someone was going to have to get hurt no matter what he did, he thought to himself. Why did it have to be so difficult?

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Kevin and Mars are preparing for the fight both have long desired; but during their intense training sessions, both Chojins confide their fears and hopes to those closest to them as they reflect on the events that have brought them to face each other in the final match of the Jacqueline McMadd Chojin Crown. **Chapter 30 – The Scars We Bear**.

**A/N(2):** I figured Kid Muscle has it far too easy both in the series and in my fics, and it was time he learned to deal with losing, learned to grow up and faced a real dilemma. Cruel, yes, but it makes for an interesting conundrum in the otherwise simple life of the prince.


	32. The Scars we Bear

**A/N:** More apologies, but hopefully I'll be updating quicker now. I got Volume 5 of the Ultimate Muscle manga at last, and at last Mars has appeared in his true Mars-esque form. After reading it, I feel all inspired again, and I finally have some good ideas for the chapters that come after the end of the Chojin Crown tournament.

Also, the name of this chapter isn't quite as significant as I intended it to be, since I took a part of it out and added it to the next chapter. Sorry. And now, without further ado…

**Recap:** Kid signed himself out of hospital early to confront his father and tell him that he intended to marry Roxanne no matter what, but King Muscle warned Kid that if he did marry Roxanne he would be ousted from the Kinniku family, and Meat would face life in prison or even death for failing to help Kid ascend to the throne of Muscle Planet.

* * *

**Chapter 30 – The Scars We Bear**

"What move should we try next Comrade – I mean, Kevin? I wonder…"

Kevin sighed, turning his back on Lord Flash. He slowly scanned his eyes over the scene outside the window of the gym. It was a gloriously warm and sunny day outside, the perfect sort of day for going for a nice long ride on his motorbike. Kevin frowned darkly then as he remembered that his new motorbike had been damaged already when Mars and Kiki had stolen it.

"That bastard," he grumbled, punching a fist into his open palm.

"Don't worry, Kevin, we'll get him!" Lord Flash enthused.

Kevin turned to look over his shoulder at his trainer, silently wondering if the old man was going insane. It seemed that he got more bizarre with every passing match of the tournament.

"You can show him once and for all who the better wrestler is, Kevin!" Lord Flash continued.

Kevin slowly turned around to fully face Lord Flash; was the old nutcase foaming at the mouth?

"You can show him how you paid attention at The Academy, and how you have progressed on since then, using all your darkest powers and all the might of your honour to make yourself a lethal and unstoppable force to be reckoned with!"

Kevin cleared his throat nervously.

"Lord Flash, if you knew my father, did you know my brother Edward at all?" he asked, hoping to move his trainer away from the current subject of conversation, which was proving to be too much for Lord Flash.

"Your brother joined the DMP too, didn't he Kevin?" Lord Flash asked. "Isn't that what you said?"

"Yes, that's right," Kevin agreed. "He also knew Mars rather well."

"And we shall destroy Mars, we shall obliterate him, we shall use the OLAP to utterly decimate him, we shall–"

"Indeed. Lord Flash, I only ask if you knew Edward because he once told me something, over four years ago now, and I still don't know if it was just another one of his lies, or if in fact he was telling the truth."

"Was it about Mars?"

"Yes it was."

"Was it damning?"

"Well yes, it was rather."

"Then it must have been the truth!"

"I just don't know what to think, Lord Flash. If it was true, I would have to kill Mars."

"And we shall kill Mars!"

"But even if it isn't true, I still have my share of scores to settle with old scarface. He threatened to let me fall off that bloody log, and a true friend would never have done such a thing. He only saved me because I promised to tell him the secret of the Number Cruncher. And he was just a bloody thief. He was arrogant, he was lazy, he was annoying, he was… Wait a minute, what the devil am I saying? He still is arrogant, lazy and annoying! The only differences in him now are that he has joined the side of good and that he is apparently living clean and sober thesedays. And all because of that flighty little girl with the green hair…"

Kevin sighed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling thoughtfully. The sound of the gym lights buzzing began to intensify in the silence that followed his speech, the monotonous drone of them almost making Kevin feel sleepy; until a voice brought him out of his reverie.

"We shall be victorious over Mars, and we shall restore the Mask family name as the best in wrestling history!" Lord Flash shrieked.

Kevin paused, his eyes still locked on one of the particularly loud strip lights above his head, his mind void of any thoughts other than the overwhelming idea that his trusted trainer had just gone mad.

"But nevertheless, Lord Flash, Mars is still a very tough foe," he said slowly, turning around to face Lord Flash as he spoke.

"But not tough enough to survive the OLAP!" Lord Flash replied.

"Knowing Mars, he is probably working on a reversal for the OLAP as we speak," Kevin drawled.

"There is no reversal for the OLAP, Kevin!" Lord Flash said loudly. "It is an unbreakable hold! Totally invincible!"

"Knowing Mars, he has probably already devised a reversal, one that no-one would even expect or foresee, just like how he turned Kid Muscle's Muscle Millennium inside-out. The snake."

"There should be no doubts in your mind, Kevin, not now! You will be victorious over Mars, I can feel it in my bones!"

"I've never fought Mars, but I've studied him fight others many times. He is the most unpredictable and tenacious wrestler I have ever known. With an opponent like that for my next match, I cannot help but reserve an element of doubt regarding my ability to defeat him. He has many advantages over me, the most significant one being that he is a graduate of both the DMP's top training facility, The Academy, and the Muscle League's school of excellence, The Hercules Factory. And he's graduated from each more than once."

Kevin slowly paced across the ring towards Lord Flash, looking around the gym as he went.

"I don't know what will become of me if I don't win the Chojin Crown," he said quietly, stopping by the ropes nearest Lord Flash and resting his forearms on the top rope.

"But you will win, Kevin, I just know you will!" Lord Flash insisted. "And you will be the top wrestler of the IWF and the Muscle League!"

"It's funny you should mention that, Lord Flash…"

Kevin looked down at his hands as he pressed the thumb of one hand into the palm of his other hand, his mask concealing a contemplative frown.

"Kevin?" Lord Flash asked nervously. "Is everything alright?"

"Not everything, no," Kevin sighed. "You see, the thing is, I don't want to become one of them. I don't I could… I don't think that I would like all that attention."

"Attention?"

"Well, you know, Kid Muscle, Jaeger, Checkmate, Terry Kenyon, even Dik Dik Van Dik and Wally Tusket, they… They all spend so much time going to promotional events, signing autographs for fans, going on television. If I win the Chojin Crown, I would have to do all of those things too. My life would be hell. All those people, following me around everywhere I go, I'd never get a moment's peace, I'd never be able to ride my bike alone again, I'd have to… I just don't think I could do it that's all. It's just so…"

Kevin sighed again, shaking his head.

"Never mind," he grumbled, turning his back on Lord Flash and walking back across the ring.

Lord Flash put down Robin Mask's old book of techniques and climbed up onto the ring apron. Without taking his eyes off of his protégé, he climbed through the ropes and approached Kevin, stopping a short distance behind him.

"Kevin, you know that I knew your father," he began slowly. "But what I haven't told you is that your father misses you, Kevin. And he wants to make peace with you–"

"I don't want to hear this, Flash!" Kevin snapped, rounding on his trainer sharply. "Why are you telling me this crap? And why now, of all the times you could have talked about it? In two days' time, I have to face the biggest challenge of my life so far – possibly the biggest challenge I will ever face – why are you talking to me about that man? I hate him, you know I do, and I don't want to hear anything else about him, understand?"

"Kevin!" Lord Flash barked. "Listen to me, this is important! I'm not stupid! I know why you're scared to win!"

"I'm not scared to win! I'm not even scared to lose! What a preposterous notion, scared to win! What are you–"

"Kevin, just shut-up and listen to me! I understand why you are upset. You don't want to join the Muscle League because you have never had a real friend in your life, and the very essence of the Muscle League is their devotion to, and their promotion of, the power of friendship!"

Kevin hesitated, a small part of him reluctantly admitting that Lord Flash was right.

"Your father just wants you to be happy, Kevin," Lord Flash continued. "And we think that you need some friends to be happy. The Muscle League wrestlers are not so bad. Just so long as you stay away from that rogue Mars, and those stupid little girls who follow them around."

Kevin chuckled to himself, shaking his head.

"Oh don't worry about that, Lord Flash," he said. "I don't intend to befriend Mars ever again. Or any of those ridiculous girls who follow the Muscle League boys everywhere they go. Although, that Roxanne girl does seem to be a little bit more sensible than the other two, but I still wouldn't dream of wasting any of my precious time in company such as that!"

"Well good," Lord Flash replied with a nod of his head. "Because I've seen the way you look at the green-haired one, and I don't want some little slip of a girl ruining your career."

"The green-haired one? I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Indeed. Shall we try technique number 467, Kevin?"

"She is the most infuriating of the three, I can't stand the little cow!"

"I shall be your opponent for the technique, Comrade – I mean Kevin."

"Kiki? The very thought of it just makes my blood boil, Lord Flash! Why would a man like me want anything to do with a stupid little girl like that?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question, Kevin?"

Lord Flash tilted his head to one side, looking suddenly and eerily inhuman to Kevin, who shuddered involuntarily as the image began to bore into his being.

"No," he agreed. "Let's just get on with our training, shall we? The last thing I want is for that Mars to beat me. He'd never stop gloating about it, I'd have to deal with him being a part of the Muscle League, he'd probably marry that crazy little girl and my life would just be a complete nightmare. Technique 467, you say?"

"Yes."

"Alright, I'm ready when you are, Lord Flash."

* * *

Kiki slowly looked upwards, her face contorting as she took in the content of the giant poster that clung to the wall of the building before her. Her prior suspicions that the McMadds were going insane and becoming viciously cruel with their exploitations to draw attention to their precious tournament were escalated to full belief as she scanned across the words plastered erratically over the faces of Kid Muscle, Kevin Mask and Mars.

What had, at first glance, looked like graffiti over the previous poster for the Chojin Crown, was in fact a totally new poster for the tournament, based on the design of the old one. The "Love, Honour and Redemption" poster with its headshots of Kid, Kevin and Mars had been crudely modified to reflect the result of Kid's semi-final match against Mars. So crudely modified, Kiki was silently glad that Kid was still in hospital. This was the last thing he needed to see. From what she had heard, things were going from bad to worse between Kid and his father, and with Roxanne and Trixie gone, Kiki had no way of finding out any more about the matter.

"What cha doin', sweetheart?"

Kiki turned her head to see Mars join her at her side, one cheek bulging as he munched his way through a chunky bar of chocolate.

"Have you seen this?" she asked, pointing up at the poster.

"Yeah," he replied, before swallowing the contents of his mouth. "Da fans don't like Jacqueline no more, so dey let Ikeman call da shots again. Dat's why it's called "Da Ikeman Chojin Crown" again, see?"

Kiki watched Mars shove the rest of the chocolate bar into his mouth, roll the wrapper up into a ball and then throw it at a passing boy, bouncing it off his head. Mars chuckled to himself as the young boy burst into tears and fled across the street. Kiki planted her hands on her hips, thinning her lips and quirking an eyebrow at him.

"What?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders innocently. "I was bored!"

"Uh-huh…" Kiki muttered.

"Yeah, I see what you mean," he added. "Dat is a bit nasty, yeah?"

Kiki and Mars turned their heads upwards in unison, looking over the poster together in silence.

"I don't know what bugs me more," Mars eventually said. "Da way dey just wrote over da new name of da tournament, da way dey just scored out Kid Muscle's face wid dat big red cross, or da fact dat dey actually wrote all dat stuff about how love ain't stronger dan honour or redemption."

"It's just awful, Mars!" Kiki implored. "Poor Kid Muscle! He'll die when he sees this!"

"If he ain't dead already," Mars casually replied, as he unwrapped another bar of chocolate.

Kiki turned sharply, narrowing her eyes at Mars. Mars started to bite into the chocolate, slowly stopping as he caught sight of Kiki glowering at him.

"I mean, dat's if he ain't…" Mars began awkwardly. "Well, you know, it ain't good wid him and his family, right?"

"Right," Kiki agreed. "I wish Trixie was still here."

"Why? What do you need Trixie for, huh? You got me, ain't you? Hey, you wanna go see dat new Adam Sandler movie?"

"But I hate Adam Sandler."

"Yeah, me too, but we could just make out in da back row, what do ya say, sweetheart?"

Kiki's jaw dropped as a series of emotions ran through her.

"Hey, relax sweetheart, I was only jokin'!" Mars quickly assured her.

Kiki slowly closed her mouth again, studying Mars carefully as he devoured his second bar of chocolate. At least, she thought it was his second bar of chocolate. He seemed to eat constantly, so it was possibly his third, or fourth, or even his fifth.

"Mars, shouldn't you be training for your fight against Kevin Mask?" she asked him cautiously.

"Huh?" Mars echoed, frowning down at her. "Do what?"

"Training?" Kiki repeated slowly and clearly. "Shouldn't you be training for your match against Kevin Mask tomorrow?"

"Oh, trainin', right!"

Mars smiled, nodding his understanding. Kiki waved her hands in the air to urge him to continue on to answer her question, to which he responded by slowly shaking his head and dropping his smile.

"No," he replied. "Why would I wanna waste my time doin' somethin' like dat? I wanna spend some time wid you, sweetheart."

"I want to spend time with you too, Mars, but I want you to win the Chojin Crown! You have to beat Kevin Mask! You have no idea how much that man totally pisses me off!"

"Whoa, sweetheart, chill out! It's okay! I can beat da squealer no sweat! Don't worry yourself about it, sweetheart! Tomorrow night, you and me is gonna be partyin', yeah?"

"I hope so, Mars."

"What, you don't think I can beat ol' buckethead?"

"It's not that I don't believe in you Mars, it's just that Kevin has gotten so much stronger since you last saw him."

"Hey, I've gotten a lot stronger too."

"But Kevin trains constantly! Him and that Lord Flash, they're always in the gym! I haven't seen you do anything to prepare for any of your matches!"

"I don't need to prepare! I did all my preparin' when I was at da Hercules Factory. Look, let's get outta here, dis poster here ain't helpin' da mood."

Mars walked past Kiki, leaving her watching his back in a mixture of dismay and curiosity. This was not the first time Mars had behaved in an unusual manner. Kiki was beginning to suspect that something was seriously wrong. He always avoided talking about his match against Kevin Mask, and, perhaps more importantly as far as Kiki was concerned, he always avoided talking about the consequences should he fail to defeat Kevin.

"Mars, wait!" she cried, hurrying after him.

Mars stopped walking, turning his head to one side, watching Kiki run up behind him from the corner of his eye.

"Mars, is everything okay?" she asked as she caught up with him.

Mars quickly ran his eyes over her, before forcing a smile.

"Sure, sweetheart! Why wouldn't it be?"

Kiki frowned up at him sceptically, but he turned away from her and continued on. Kiki sighed, hurrying after him again. As she drew up along side him, Kiki hooked both arms around Mars's elbow, looking up at him as they walked.

"I'm not totally stupid you know, Mars," she said softly as they walked on together. "I can tell something isn't right. Please tell me what it is. You're starting to scare me."

Mars stopped abruptly, turning to look down at Kiki in alarm.

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't have to be afraid!" he quickly assured her.

"Don't I?" she asked.

"Of course not!"

"Well I am afraid. I'm afraid of your complacency, I'm afraid of you losing, and I'm afraid of the way you keep avoiding talking about the match or what will happen if you lose!"

"But I ain't gonna lose, sweetheart. I can't lose."

"Why can't you lose?"

"Because I…"

Mars slowly looked away from Kiki, looking around himself for a moment as though looking for the answer to Kiki's question.

"Say Kiki, you wanna go get some flowers from dat stall over dere?" he asked, pointing towards a small cart-like stall positioned by the edge of the street.

"No, I just want you to tell me what it is that's bothering you, Mars," Kiki flatly replied, tugging at his arm as she spoke.

Mars slowly turned back to her, looking directly into her eyes for a moment before dropping his eyes to his feet.

"I ain't never fought Mask before," he mumbled. "But I have seen him fight. He's pretty tough. I don't know if I can beat him."

"There, was that so hard?" Kiki asked teasingly, smiling up at Mars.

Mars's head snapped up and he glared at Kiki, his golden eyes suddenly flashing with what looked like anger. Kiki's smile fell from her face as she saw the look on his face, a sickening chill passing over her.

"You don't understand," he growled, before marching off.

Kiki's arms fell from Mars's as he left her again. She had thought that she was making progress, but now she was even more confused than she had been before: just what was bothering Mars so much?

"I guess there's only one way to find out what's eating him," she muttered to herself, before running after him.

Kiki ran right past Mars, arcing around and skidding to a halt in front of him, holding her arms out at her sides to block his path.

"What's wrong?" she demanded.

"Nothing," Mars lied. "I just want dis whole mess to be over wid already."

"Mess?" Kiki echoed suspiciously.

"Yeah," Mars sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided Kiki's eyes. "You know, all dis crap wid da media, and all dat babyface versus heel shit dey're all talkin' about…."

Mars winced as he saw the whites of Kiki's eyes grow. He had always tried his best not to use profanities in her presence, but his distracted state of mind was causing him to slip up. Not only did the look on her face tell him that she was now seriously concerned about him, but he could tell that she would never stop asking him questions, and avoiding the truth was only going to get more difficult for him to do. All he had to do was ignore the possibility of losing for one more day. Just one more day, and it would all be over. In just one more day, he would have confronted and fought Kevin Mask, and not only would he know one way or the other who the better wrestler was, but he would also know his fate. Would he be staying on Earth as a member of the Muscle League, or would he be on his way back to the Hercules Factory to await relocation to another planet?

Mars gulped hard as he tried to think of how he would explain to Kiki that he would have to leave if he lost. How could he even begin to tell her?

"Oh man, I never thought I'd ever be glad to see dat kid…" he muttered aloud as he sighted a figure approaching them.

"What?" Kiki echoed, looking up at him with worried eyes.

"Well, you remember you was askin' me about trainin'?" Mars replied, smiling down at her. "Well, I don't train like Mask does. He likes doin' handstands in saunas, I like fightin'."

Kiki tilted her head to one side, frowning questioningly up at Mars as he waved at something behind and beyond her. She turned her head to look over her shoulder, bewildered to find Jaeger walking towards them, waving back at Mars.

"I worry about that man…" she muttered, eying over Jaeger's pink Mars T-shirt.

"Sorry I'm late, Mars," Jaeger said as he joined them. "I got a puncture in my bike."

"You gotta puncture in your…" Mars grumbled. "Never mind, kid, you're here now."

"You've been training with Jaeger?" Kiki asked Mars suspiciously.

"Yeah, me and da kid trained together at da Hercules Factory, so we know each other's styles," Mars explained. "Jaeger's been helpin' me work on a few techniques, ain't dat right, kid?"

Mars grabbed the top of Jaeger's green helmet in one large hand, forcing Jaeger to stagger from side to side as he shook Jaeger's head in his hand.

"Ja," Jaeger agreed.

"C'mon kid, let's get to it," Mars said, roughly releasing Jaeger's helmet.

Jaeger staggered a little more until he regained his footing, before approaching Mars again. Mars smiled amiably down at his former classmate, extending a hand out to him. Jaeger grinned up at Mars, taking Mars's hand and starting to shake it. Mars scowled at Jaeger with an air of disappointment and disgust, before thrusting his other hand forwards, punching Jaeger in the gut.

"Hey, ain't you been listenin' to me?" Mars snapped as Jaeger doubled over to nurse his abdomen. "You don't never trust nobody in da ring. You can be so gullible sometimes you know dat? Now c'mon, I didn't hit you dat hard. But if I was facin' you in a real match, I'da knocked you clean across da street, ya hear?"

"Ja," Jaeger groaned, nodding his head.

"Catch ya later sweetheart," Mars said, softly kissing Kiki on the forehead.

"But…" Kiki began, taking a step forwards as Mars turned his back on her and sauntered off.

Jaeger let out a little cough, drawing Kiki's attention. He smiled awkwardly as their eyes met.

"See you tomorrow at ze match, Kiki!" he bid her, before running after Mars.

Kiki watched him catch up with Mars, sighing as they continued on their way together, without so much as a backward glance.

"Oh Mars…" she sighed. "I hope you know what you're doing…"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** It's the long awaited final match of the Ikeman Chojin Crown, Kevin Mask versus Mars. The stakes are high and the emotions are even higher as the old allies face each other for the first time in an official wrestling match to see who will be crowned champion. **Chapter 31 – For Honour**.


	33. For Honour

**A/N:** My ridiculously long chapters have made a return. Whether that is good or bad news, only you, the reader, can decide. I must now apologise, as this chapter kick-starts a horrible trend for every other remaining chapter of this fic: it ends on a huge, evil cliffhanger…

I only know of Robin Mask and Robin Grande, so I am referring to Kevin Mask as a third generation wrestler, although he may well be a fourth, fifth, etc generation.

Also, I'm claiming that Mars comes from New York, since I prefer the idea of him having an Italian-American accent.

Finally, apologies for the verbal-laden fight scenes; but I think the arguments between Kevin and Mars are just as important as the actual fighting.

**Recap: **Kevin and Mars both prepared for their match in their own way, each hoping for victory and each apprehensive of facing the other.

* * *

**Chapter 31 – For Honour**

Mars gripped onto the sides of the sink, staring down at the pool of cold water he had just filled it with. In the silence of his locker-room, with its sound-proofed walls, Mars's ears were filled with the buzzing sound of the lights above his head, and the deafening sound of his heart, which was thudding out a beat so intense, he could feel it in the tips of his fingers as he pressed them against the ceramic of the sink.

Mars slowly looked upwards, his reflection slowly dawning into view as he looked into the mirror over the sink. The first features of his reflection that truly stood out to him were the deep, thick, linear scars that ran from the outer corners of his eyes, down over his cheekbones before tapering to a point, each of which was level with the tip of his nose. Mars was suddenly overwhelmed by a memory of a time in his past that he had almost forgotten all about, a time he would rather have forgotten about, a moment in his life that he hated and regretted in every way, but a moment that haunted his thoughts regardless.

"What are you looking so upset about?" a rasping, yet eloquent, voice echoed through his head. "They are perfectly symmetrical. And besides, girls love a man with a scar. Just think how much they'll love a man with two."

"But dese scars are on my face, you asshole!" Mars heard himself roar back as he inspected the still fresh and bloody marks on his face in a mirror.

"Which is why, my dear boy, from this day on, you will be known to all as "scarface"," the rough voice replied.

The reflection of a giant green humanoid dragon with hollow scarlet eyes appeared in the mirror next to Mars's own face. If it was possible for a dragon to smirk maliciously, that was what the dragon was doing right then at the image of Mars's face in the mirror.

"What have you done to me?" Mars yelled, panic gripping him. "Dis won't never heal! I'll be scarred for life, you sick fuck!"

"Welcome to the DMP, scarface," the dragon sighed.

"I can't go home, dey won't ever let me back like dis," Mars muttered, leaning closer to the mirror to inspect the septic sores over his cheekbones. "You did dis deliberately. You bastard!"

"The name's Doomsmane, scarface," the dragon corrected Mars. "And first of all, don't blame me for any of this, you said you would do anything to join the DMP. And secondly, if you couldn't figure out that I was trying to imprison you to the DMP with my actions, then that just proves that you are stupid. And if you are indeed that stupid then you deserve whatever comes your way, if you ask me. Now stop your whining and get back to your training. We're enrolling students for The Academy next week. I'm sure you won't want to miss that, scarface."

"Don't call me scarface!" Mars yelled.

Mars blinked several times, frowning at the face that was staring back at him from the mirror. The scars that had been fresh had hardened and healed as well as they ever would, the headdress he had been wearing was absent, revealing a shock of dishevelled crimson hair, and the face, although still one of a young man, had aged.

"Damn you, Doomsmane," Mars growled, thrusting his hands into the ice-cold water inside the sink.

Mars cupped his hands together beneath the surface of the water, before abruptly lowering his head towards the sink and lifting his hands upwards sharply, splashing two handfuls of the water over his face. Mars gasped in shock as the water hit his face, shaking his head and thrusting his hands into the water again, splashing his face again and again.

"What are you doing?" a voice barked.

Mars paused, looking up into the mirror, finding Buffaloman standing behind him, frowning at him questioningly.

"I'm just preppin' myself," Mars muttered, grabbing the sides of the sink with both hands again.

"What?" Buffaloman echoed.

But instead of answering his mentor, Mars dunked his entire head into the bitterly cold water. Buffaloman watched on in a state of bemusement as a series of bubbles rose to the surface of the water around the swarms of red hair. When the bubbles stopped and Mars failed to pull his head out of the water, Buffaloman began to grow concerned.

"Mars?" he asked cautiously, taking a step closer to Mars's back. "Mars!"

Buffaloman grabbed a handful of Mars's hair, yanking his head out of the water. Mars gasped in a lungful of fresh air as he stood up, reaching a hand up to his head where Buffaloman still held him in place by his hair.

"What's wrong with you, boy?" Buffaloman demanded as Mars moved his eyes to the Legend.

"I'm just gettin' for my match, dat's all!" Mars lied. "You wanna maybe let go of my hair now?"

Buffaloman slowly opened out his fingers, releasing Mars. Mars let out a long sigh, dragging one hand down over his face, swiping the droplets of water from his features.

"I have watched you train for three years," Buffaloman said, waving three fingers in front of Mars's face. "I have seen what you can do, and I have seen how hard you have worked to better your skills as a wrestler. You can beat Kevin Mask, I know you can."

"Yeah, I know I can too," Mars replied dismissively, shrugging his shoulders.

"No you don't," Buffaloman corrected him, rubbing a towel against the side of his head.

"Hey!" Mars protested, grabbing the towel from him.

"You are doubting yourself, and this close to your big match, that is a very bad thing do be doing. Why are you doubting yourself? You have never doubted yourself before! You were always so confident!"

"Yeah, well, dere's a lot at stake today, yeah?"

"You are concerned about losing your place in the Muscle League here on Earth?"

"I guess you could say dat."

"Well, you can forget it. You will win and you will stay here to defend Earth. Even if you do lose, that is good too. There are other planets that need you. I have several in mind for you."

Mars wrapped the towel over the top of his head, puling the sides down and looking into the mirror at his hooded reflection.

"What if…" he began cautiously, watching Buffaloman's reflection at his shoulder. "What if I don't wanna go no place else. What if I wanna stay here on Earth?"

"You can't do that," Buffaloman flatly replied. "If you are not in the Muscle League here on Earth, if you do not fight for the IWF, you must go somewhere else. If there is no need for you here, you are bound by duty and honour as a graduate of the Hercules Factory to go where you are needed. You will return to teach at the Hercules Factory until we find somewhere else for you."

"I see…"

Mars nodded slowly, before pulling the towel down over his face, rubbing at his damp hair as he pulled it down. Mars deliberately held the towel over his face for a prolonged period of time as he pulled various expressions of disgust, anger and anxiety, attempting to clear all negative emotions from his mind before facing Buffaloman again.

"Anyway, you need to be getting dressed, your match will start soon," Buffaloman added, slapping a hand down onto Mars's shoulder. "Good luck, my boy."

"Good luck?" Mars echoed, yanking the towel off his face and turning to glare at Buffaloman in alarm. "What da fuck does dat mean?"

"Watch your language, you are a Justice Chojin now!" Buffaloman snapped.

"Good luck?" Mars repeated. "So now you think I need luck to win dis match? Good luck? You just said you've been watchin' me trainin' and fightin' and dat I'm da best dere is! What did ya have to go and say "good luck" for, huh?"

"Calm down Mars," Buffaloman drawled.

"Hey, I don't need no good luck to win nothin'!"

"Well, your anger has often helped you by increasing your power in the past…"

"Get outta here, I'm tryin' to prep myself here!"

"I see good manners still escape you–"

"I'm serious, get outta here! Don't get me wrong or nothin', I'm real happy dat you was dere to help me at da Hercules Factory, and I really appreciate all da stuff you've done for me, but I gotta do dis alone, yeah?"

"You don't want me in your corner for the match?"

"No, why would I want dat?"

"Because Kevin Mask has Lord Flash."

"And I got Mars. I appreciate da offer, but no thanks."

"If you're sure."

"I'm positive, now go!"

Mars pointed towards the door, waiting until Buffaloman had left and closed the door behind himself before growling in frustration.

Mars turned back to his reflection, eying himself over briefly. He had left the shower almost an hour ago and yet he was still wearing nothing more than the shorts of his wrestling gear. He wanted to get dressed, he wanted to leave his locker-room, he wanted to go and endure the inevitable lengthy lecture from the IWF officials prior to making his entrance, but something was holding him back.

Doubt?

Mars quickly shook his head. Why would he doubt himself? He had never doubted his ability to win before, so why now?

He had never doubted his ability to win before now, but he had never fought Kevin Mask before now.

"Damn it!" Mars yelled, grabbing the towel between both hands and ripping it in half.

Mars tossed aside the remains of the towel, stomping over to where his wrestling boots lay, sitting down onto the small bench next to them.

"Stupid…" he muttered to himself as he pulled on his boots. "Squealer… Honour… Redemption… Muscle League… Stupid… Hercules Factory… IWF… McMadd…"

Mars stood up, looking around himself for an idea of what he should do next. Before he could make up his mind however, a soft knock on the door distracted his attention.

"Yeah?" he called out.

"Mars?" Kiki's voice called back.

"Oh hey sweetheart, c'mon in!" he called to her.

The door opened and Kiki leaned into the room, smiling as her eyes landed on Mars.

"Hi," she whispered. "Are you busy?"

"I gotta minute," he lied, beckoning her to come closer. "C'mon in. And close da door behind you."

Kiki slipped into the room, gently shutting the door behind her as Mars had requested.

"I just wanted to say a few things before you go out there today," she explained, crossing the room towards Mars.

"Just so long as you ain't come here to talk about luck…" Mars muttered, raking the fingers of one hand through his hair.

"Huh?" Kiki echoed, stopping a short distance from him.

"Nothin'," Mars lied, forcing a smile. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to say that I believe that you can win today, Mars," Kiki said slowly. "But even if you don't, it's okay. But please do. I couldn't stand it if Kevin Mask started wrestling for the IWF. And besides, it's not so hard for him is he loses."

"Yeah, dat's right," Mars agreed nodding his head. "Wait a minute…"

Mars frowned thoughtfully, before slowly shaking his head.

"No, I don't get it," he confessed. "Why ain't it so bad for Mask if he loses?"

"Well, he has another career to fall back on, right?" Kiki replied, smiling slyly.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Kiki snorted. "Haven't you heard? He's like the fifth member of Boys R Us…"

Mars faltered for a moment before grinning widely enough to reveal his fangs.

"Yeah, pretty boy Nick Hasler, huh?" he laughed.

"Exactly!" Kiki replied, jumping on the spot and grinning.

"Well hey, don't you worry, I'll let all dose little girlies have Nick Hasler back in time for da big world tour," Mars continued, stepping closer to Kiki. "And den you and me can just kick back and enjoy life here on Earth, right?"

Kiki frowned at Mars as he slowly walked up to her, closing the gap between them. He gently touched his hands to her shoulders, smiling down at her, apparently oblivious to the confused and concerned expression on her face.

"Yeah, right here on Earth," she said. "Where else would we be?"

"Huh?" Mars echoed, his smile slipping as he realised his mistake. "Oh, uh, I mean, nowhere. Just dat, you know, we would be here together."

"We'll be here together no matter what happens today Mars," Kiki insisted. "I'm not letting get away from me again. I love you, Mars."

Kiki grabbed her arms around Mars's waist, causing his face to twist with emotions. Mars grabbed a handful of Kiki's sweater at her back, pressing her against himself as he gently stroked her hair with his other hand.

"I'll be cheering for you, Mars," Kiki added as she slowly released him.

Mars reluctantly released his hold on Kiki, nodding his head as he tried his best to look brave and confident.

"Thanks sweetheart, dat means a lot to me," he whispered, before leaning forwards to softly kiss her on her forehead. "I'll see ya at da end of da match."

"Goodbye," Kiki replied, touching the tip of her finger to the tip of Mars's nose.

Mars closed his eyes, a brief memory of the first time she had made that simple and yet oh-so sweet gesture to him; it had been just before his final round match against Kid Muscle in the Generation Ex Tournament, a match he had unceremoniously lost thanks in no small part to Kevin Mask. How ironic, he thought to himself, that three years later, he had defeated Kid Muscle and was now set to face Kevin Mask in the final round of yet another IWF tournament.

Mars opened his eyes in time to see Kiki slip out of the door. She mouthed out the word goodbye, blowing a kiss at him and waving her hand. Mars waved back at her as she closed the door, disappearing from his sight.

"Damn…" he muttered, grabbing the top part of his wrestling gear from its hanger.

Mars pulled the top part of his wrestling outfit over his head, walking up to the door as he tucked it into place around his shorts.

"I'm sorry Kiki," he whispered, touching his hands to the door and hanging his head. "Damn dis tournament…"

Mars remained perfectly still, engulfing himself in the silence of his locker-room once more. But yet again, Mars's peace was short-lived. The door he was standing directly in front of suddenly flew open, narrowly missing his head as he leapt back out of its range.

"Mars!" Jaeger yelled, stumbling into the room.

"Jaeger, ya little bastard!" Mars growled, marching over to the door and placing one hand onto it, slamming it shut. "What did you do dat for, huh? Ain't you never heard of knockin'? I coulda been naked in here!"

Jaeger slowly looked Mars up and down, before shaking his head.

"But you are fully dressed, Mars!" he pointed out. "And so you should be! Your match starts in like five minutes! Vhy are you still not ready?"

"Because I keep gettin' distracted all da time, dat's why!" Mars sneered.

"Ja, I just saw Kiki leaving," Jaeger agreed, nodding his head. "My fazher alvays tells me zhat vomen are just a distraction to a young Chojin."

"And you agree with him?" Mars asked, curling a lip sceptically.

"Ja, I believe everyzhing my fazher tells me!" Jaeger chirped.

"Daddy's boy," Mars mumbled.

"No, I just believe in doing vhat is right as a Justice Chojin!" Jaeger replied, smacking a fist against his chest. "I von't let some girl distract me from my duties!"

"You're only sayin' dat cause you ain't got no girlfriend," Mars pointed out.

Jaeger slowly opened his fist, his hand falling to his side as he sorrowfully hung his head.

"Maybe," he muttered into his chest.

Mars nodded his head, grabbing up his belt and pulling it into place around his waist.

"Listen kid, you've been a great sparrin' partner an' all, but I'm on my way to da single most important fight of my life here," Mars said as he fastened his belt. "So what are you doin' here? It's not dat I ain't over-joyed to see you or nothin', it's just dat I got other things I gotta be doin'. So just cut to da chase: what do you want?"

"I just vanted to offer you my Skull of Mystery," Jaeger replied cheerfully, holding out his small skull broche towards Mars.

"You wanted to offer me your Skull of Mystery?" Mars echoed, trying to suppress a smirk as he looked down at the tiny skull resting on Jaeger's upturned palm.

"Ja, it can give you ze mysterious powers of ze Broken family," Jaeger explained.

"Da mysterious powers of da Broken family, huh?" Mars repeated, lifting his eyes to Jaeger's. "Dat sounds cool and all, but I ain't really one for jewellery. I'm actually more da kinda guy who thinks little broches look better on girls, you know what I mean?"

"Mars, I am being serious!" Jaeger snapped, closing his fist around the Skull of Mystery. "You must vear ze Skull of Mystery. Vith zhis, you vill have my power. You vill have my Red Rain of Pain."

"I will have your Red Rain of Pain?"

Mars took a step closer to Jaeger, frowning down at his fist.

"Lemme see it again," he asked.

Jeager obediently opened his fist, presenting the Skull of Mystery to Mars one more time.

"Yeah, sure, okay, why not?"

Mars plucked the small skull from Jaeger's hand, lifting it up in front of his face, balancing it between his thumb and forefinger to inspect it more closely.

"Da Red Rain of Pain, huh?" he muttered.

Mars lowered his hand, clipping the Skull of Mystery onto his wrestling outfit at the base of his throat.

"Thanks for dat, Jaeger," he said quietly, reaching out a hand towards Jaeger.

Jaeger reached up a hand to take Mars's hand in his, but Mars moved his hand to Jaeger's head, grabbing his helmet and roughly shaking it from side to side. Jaeger giggled as he was forced to stagger around beneath the strength of Mars's grip.

"I know you can beat Kevin Mask, Mars," Jaeger added as Mars released him. "I vill be cheering for you. I'm very much looking forward to fighting along side you in ze Muscle League again. It will just be like ze old days in ze Hercules Factory."

"Yeah, it will be," Mars agreed, nodding his head. "I'm lookin' forward to it too, kid. Now scram, I gotta get ready for my match."

"Ja, sorry Mars!"

"No problem kid. And thanks again for da badge, yeah?"

Jaeger saluted Mars as he opened the door to take his leave. Mars smiled, saluting him in return. Mars waited until Jaeger had left and closed the door again before sighing and rolling his eyes.

"Anyone else wanna come in here and piss me off?" he grumbled, pulling on his arm protectors. "I just wanna get dis shit over wid…"

Mars grabbed up his headdress, pulling it on over his head and adjusting it into position, stepping in front of the full-length mirror directly opposite the door of his locker-room to check his appearance one last time. As his eyes landed on the glass, Mars's heart skipped a beat. His eyes locked onto the figure hovering by the open door of his locker-room, but the very sight of it called his entire sanity into question. Surely it was not possible? Firstly, how had anyone managed to open the door without him hearing? And secondly, why was it him of all people? Why had he chosen now of all times to confront Mars? How had he even gotten into the backstage area?

Mars decided that the only way to answer any and all of his questions was to direct them at the man who had just entered the room, and so he turned around, watching as the Chojin facing him slammed the door shut and marched across the room towards him.

"Hi," Mars said awkwardly.

"Shut-up," the Chojin growled, marching right up to Mars.

Mars stumbled back, his back clattering against the mirror.

"Hey, I don't want no trouble, I gotta match against Kevin Mask, and you know how hard Kevin is, right?" Mars said.

"Yeah, Kevin's hard. But you better beat him today."

"Huh?"

Mars frowned, unsure if he had heard correctly.

"Kid, shouldn't you be in hospital?" he asked slowly, the sight of the irate Kinniku prince standing in front of him beginning to make him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Probably, but I had to get out," Kid darkly replied. "I had to talk to my father. Do you know what he said?"

"No?"

"He said I've got to make up my mind after your match today. I have to choose. Roxanne or wrestling."

"Well, what do you wanna choose?"

"I don't have a choice. And it's all your fault. If you hadn't beaten me, I could have had everything."

"Hey, I need to win dis tournament just as much as you did!"

"You don't deserve to win."

Mars pressed himself harder against the wall. The last thing he needed was to get into a fight with a mentally unstable Kid Muscle right before his big match against Kevin Mask. The thought of facing Kevin fresh was daunting enough, but to have to fight him in a weakened, battered state really did not appeal to Mars right then.

"Whatever you do out there today Eskara, or Mars, or whatever the hell your name is, just do me one favour, yeah?" Kid growled, jabbing a finger into Mars's shoulder.

"What's dat?" Mars asked.

"Just make sure you beat Kevin Mask," Kid quietly replied.

"What?"

Mars was not entirely sure he had just heard correctly: Kid wanted him to win?

"My father saw you beat me," Kid explained. "If you now get beaten, by Kevin Mask of all people, my father will really think I'm a loser. If you beat Kevin Mask, my dad might think you're invincible, and he might understand why I lost to you. So don't let me down. Don't just defeat Kevin, totally give it to him. Kill him if you have to. Just make sure you show them all just how strong you really are. Show them that you're the toughest wrestler ever."

Mars slowly nodded his head, Kid's words finally making some sort of sense in his mind.

"Sure, Kid," he agreed. "I'll win dis one for you. And hey, you wasn't no pushover. You was always a challenge to me, back in da Gen Ex Tournament and in our last match in da semi-finals. I promise, I ain't gonna let you down, Kid."

Mars held out a hand to Kid, who lowered his blue eyes to it, frowning thoughtfully.

"Just make sure that you win," Kid grumbled, turning his back on Mars and walking back out of the locker room.

Mars waited until Kid had slammed the door shut behind himself before letting out a sigh of relief, moving his proffered hand to his forehead and closing his eyes.

"This is the final call for Mars, curtain call for Mars, curtain call for Mars."

Mars's eyes snapped open.

"Shit!" he cursed.

This was it. Mars took a deep breath and then marched boldly across the room, walking out into the corridor. He was mildly surprised to find that there were no backstage staff loitering in the corridor, not even a member of the McMadd family to shout at him. There was just a long, artificially lit corridor that led to the black curtained area at the top of the entrance ramp leading to the ring.

"I walk alone," Mars muttered to himself, stopping by the barely visible parting in the curtains.

* * *

"Gosh Kiki, you sure are a sweet, givin' sorta girl!"

Kiki opened her mouth to protest, but before she could voice her opinions, Terry Kenyon helped himself to a burger from her tray, biting into it. She turned helplessly to Dik Dik Van Dik who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"I just wish the girls could be here," she said, more to herself than anyone else around her.

"And the lady's wish was granted!" a voice said cheerfully.

Kiki looked up, a grin brightening her face.

"Trixie!" she squealed as she sighted her blonde friend picking her way past the Tusket family to join her.

"You didn't think I'd wanna miss this one, did you?" Trixie laughed. "It's bad enough Roxanne lost out, I'm here to make sure you don't lose too!"

Trixie shook a plastic IWF Gift Shop carrier bag at Kiki, who frowned at it curiously.

"Just don't tell make a big deal about it around Roxanne, or she'll kill me," Trixie added, opening the bag and pulling out a bundle of dark crimson cloth.

Kiki began to laugh as Trixie threw the cloth over her head, fixing it into place to reveal a soft, costume imitation of Mars's Mask of Madness and headdress.

"Thanks, Trixie," Kiki said. "I'm really glad you came. How's Roxanne?"

"You can ask her yourself," Trixie dryly replied, flicking her thumb over her shoulder.

Kiki frowned, searching Trixie's eyes for any sign of a lie. When she found none, Kiki slowly stretched up onto her toes, peering over Trixie's shoulder. She gasped, dropping back down and moving her eyes back to Trixie's.

"Kid Muscle's here?" she yelped.

"Of course he is," Trixie calmly replied. "Everyone's here, Kiki."

Trixie pointed upwards, and Kiki turned, looking up to see the Sky Box, populated by the McMadds and the Muscles. Kiki then turned back, watching as a solemn Kid Muscle marched along the front row, one hand tucked behind his back. As he drew nearer he slowed, pulling his hand forwards. Kiki gasped again as Roxanne stepped past Kid, still clutching his hand tightly, she took a seat next to Trixie, and Kid sat down at her other side.

"Roxanne?" Kiki said, leaning past Trixie to look down the row at Roxanne.

"Sit down Kiki, the match is about to start," Roxanne numbly replied, her eyes locked onto the ring.

Kiki turned to Trixie, who silently nodded her head, waving her hands to indicate that Kiki should just take a seat as Roxanne suggested. Kiki and Trixie slowly sat down followed by Terry and the others. A hushed silence fell over the audience as Ikeman McMadd approached the ring, grinning from ear to ear and looking exceptionally goofy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boy and girls of all ages, welcome to the final match of the Ikeman Chojin Crown!" Ikeman declared.

As the audience let out a cheer of appreciation, Ikeman stepped through the ropes, walking to the centre of the ring, looking around himself at the fans as he went.

"In our final round match-up today we will see third generation wrestler Kevin Mask take on everyone's favourite bad guy, Mars!" Ikeman added.

Again the audience cheered.

"Kevin is fighting for the honour of the Mask family name, and Mars is fighting for redemption in the eyes of the Muscle League," Ikeman continued once the cheers had faded. "And both men are fighting to be crowned champion of the Ikeman Chojin Crown. Today one man will win the glory of achieving his dream and becoming a champion, and the other will suffer the shame and humiliation of defeat and the loss of his dream and the championship. And so, ladies and gentlemen, without any further ado, allow me to present our contestants for today's final match. First up, hailing all the way from London England, accompanied to the ring by Lord Flash, Kevin Mask!"

As Kevin's entrance music boomed throughout the stadium, Terry turned to the others knowingly.

"Of course, y'all know what they say about the man who comes out first," he said smugly.

"Yeah, and you were wrong about that the last time, so just shut-up, asshole!" Roxanne interrupted him.

Terry blinked at Roxanne, his face twisting as a hurt expression worked its way over his features.

"But we all hope you're right this time, Terry," Trixie said softly to Terry.

"Yeah," he said, nodding his head. "That was what I meant! I want ol' Mars to win this here match just as much as everybody else here does!"

The others nodded, watching as Kevin stepped up onto the ring apron and Lord Flash began to pace back and forth, rubbing his hands together deviously. Kevin had barely gotten into the ring before Mars's music sounded, and Mars appeared at the top of the walkway, dressed in his ceremonial red wings.

Kevin turned around, pressing his hands onto his hips and shaking his head as he watched Mars make his way down towards the ring, one fist raised in the air.

"And his opponent, from Brooklyn, New York, Mars!" Ikeman yelled, his voice barely audible over the cheers of the fans and Mars's music.

Mars removed his wings outside the ring, tossing them at Lord Flash before leaping up onto the ring apron. Lord Flash angrily threw Mars's wings aside and shook a fist at Mars, cursing at him in Russian. Mars shrugged his shoulders at Kevin's trainer, pushing down the top rope of the ring and stepping effortlessly over it.

"At the sound of the bell, the match will begin," Ikeman explained as Kevin and Mars crept towards each other. "Good luck gentlemen!"

Ikeman hurried out of the ring as Kevin and Mars met in the middle of the ring, eying each other over, each standing as tall as they could, their chests pushed forwards aggressively.

"I've been lookin' forward to dis day for a long time, squealer," Mars growled through tightly clenched teeth.

"Likewise, scarface," Kevin tightly replied. "Were you anyone else, I would ask you for a fair and hard fight, but I know I won't get either from a dirty, conniving bastard like you."

"I don't really think a fair and hard fight is what either of us want, squealer," Mars said. "We just wanna win, by whatever means possible."

"I'm glad we agree on at least one thing."

"At da end, dere will only be one man standing."

"My sentiments exactly."

The bell sounded to signify the start of the match, and Kevin wasted no time in jabbing a fist at Mars's face. Mars leaned to one side to dodge the attack, grabbing Kevin's arm and wrenching it around behind Kevin's back. Kevin quickly twisted out of the hold and kicked Mars in the gut before pulling him forwards and sending him towards the ropes. Mars bounced off the ropes and ran back at Kevin, who aimed a flying clothesline at Mars's neck. Mars quickly dropped down, sliding under Kevin as he flew through the air.

The two quickly rolled over and got back to their feet, turning to face each other, each dropped down into a fighting stance. They paused as the audience applauded their impressive display of athleticism appreciatively.

"You can't avoid me forever, scarface," Kevin warned. "Defence is all well and good, but you will need a damn good offence if you want to stand a chance of beating me!"

"And you, squealer, are gonna need to hit me wid a much better offence dan dis if you wanna stand a chance of livin' to see another day," Mars coldly replied.

"You always were all talk, scarface."

"And you always was afraid of me."

"Liar!"

Kevin punched at Mars's face again, and again Mars dodged the attack. This time Mars grabbed Kevin's arm and threw him down with a punishing hip toss. Before Kevin could move off his back, Mars began a barrage of elbow drops to Kevin's mid-section, grinning in delight with every groan Kevin let out as the air was forced from his lungs.

"Fight back, Kevin!" Lord Flash yelled into the ring. "Technique number 267!"

"Ah yes, thank you, Lord Flash!" Kevin replied, grabbing Mars's arm as his elbow collided with his abdomen.

Kevin rolled over, pulling Mars down to the mat where he landed facedown. Kevin twisted Mars's arm up his back, but Mars kicked out, his heel catching Kevin's leg and preventing him from getting close enough to fully execute the move. Mars kicked at Kevin again and then pulled himself forwards, pulling his arm out of Kevin's hold. He quickly got to his feet, staggering over to the ropes. Behind him, Kevin got up and ran to the opposite set of ropes.

Both Mars and Kevin launched themselves simultaneously off the ropes, running towards each other. Each brought up an arm at the last possible moment, and each hit the other with a clothesline. Kevin and Mars fell onto their backs in unison, drawing another round of applause from the audience.

"We're very evenly matched, you must have trained damn hard, scarface," Kevin commented.

"Bite me!" Mars snarled, leaping to his feet.

Mars bent down and grabbed Kevin up, throwing him up into the air. Mars leapt up after him, grabbing him into the Kinniku Buster.

"You fool!" Kevin laughed. "I taught you the reverse for this move!"

"Dis ain't da old Kinniku move, asshole!" Mars yelled back. "Dis is my new and improved Ultimate Scar Buster!"

"Not if I can help it!" Kevin yelled.

As Mars tried to lock his legs around Kevin's neck, Kevin quickly lifted his head out of reach, executing the Number Cruncher to turn the move around against Mars.

"Kid Muscle lost in this tournament, why the devil would you want to steal his moves?" Kevin said mockingly.

"Because dey is still good moves," Mars snidely replied, slipping out of Kevin's hold. "Let's see how you like my other modified Kid Muscle move. I call dis one da Mars Millennium!"

"What the–?"

Mars twisted around in the air, pulling Kevin's arms out behind him and pressed his head into the small of Kevin's back, driving him down towards the mat. Kevin let out a cry of frustration before he crashed onto the canvas. Mars flipped off of him, wiping off his hands and flicking a middle finger at Lord Flash, who cursed at him in Russian again.

The reaction to the sudden turn of events in Mars's favour brought a mixed response from the audience, as half in attendance were solidly behind Kevin Mask, and booed Mars's actions. Mars smirked to himself in amusement at the thought, but reminded himself that the opponent he was facing was by far the toughest he had ever fought, and a move like the one he had just executed would not be enough to end the match.

Mars drew in a deep breath and pulled down his Mask of Madness, walking over to one corner of the ring as his headdress began to glow bright yellow around him. Mars was aware that Kevin was already stirring behind him, but by Lord Flash's rabid screaming at ringside as he beat his fists off the ring apron, Mars could also tell that Kevin was not yet on his feet.

Mars quickly scaled the corner-post, launching himself into the air from the top of it.

"Swallow Tail!" he yelled.

As Mars's coat-tails sharpened and stiffened at his back, another mixture of cheers, boos and awestruck coos arose from the audience. Mars fell towards the bare section of concrete by the railings that separated the audience from the ring, digging out a circular chuck of rock with his tail. As he flung the divot up into the air, Mars glanced back at the ring, a malicious grin manifesting upon his features as he saw that Kevin had just gotten to his feet, and was staggering around in a daze; the perfect set-up for the next part of his move.

"So long, squealer!" he yelled, spinning around and kicking the concrete block towards the ring.

Mars watched the lump of concrete fly towards Kevin, feeling confident that the blow it would inevitably deliver would be enough to weaken Kevin sufficiently to give him a distinct advantage for the remainder of the match. But as Mars watched on, his smile faded to be replaced by a frown. The audience were gasping and screaming, and the concrete block was hovering in midair above the middle of the ring. Had Kevin somehow managed to catch it?

Mars crept closer to the ring, hissing at Lord Flash as the old Russian began to laugh maniacally at him. Closer inspection of the situation revealed to Mars that not only was the concrete block hovering in midair, it was also wobbling. Cracks began to appear over the surface of the concrete, and Mars's jaw dropped from his face as he saw that Kevin was in fact using his body as a drill to drill his way through the rock.

"That's the Mach Pulveriser!" Terry Kenyon yelled from the audience.

"Da what?" Mars echoed, watching in alarm as Kevin bore right through the concrete, which broke apart and fell to the ground around him.

"Kevin, be careful!" Lord Flash warned, as Kevin's spinning body carried on forwards, over the top rope of the ring.

Once over the top rope, Kevin began to spin downwards, aiming himself towards the front row of the audience. Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki screamed as they realised that Kevin was heading directly towards them. Mars started to run over to stop Kevin, but Lord Flash threw himself into Kevin's path, catching Kevin in midair. The two fell to the ground together, and Kevin rolled into the railings, the collision finally breaking his manoeuvre.

A silence fell over the audience as Lord Flash curled up into a ball on the ground, his arms wrapped over his head. Kevin slowly pulled himself to his feet with the aid of the railings, unaware that behind him, Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki were leaning over him, watching him in awe.

"Poor Lord Flash!" Kiki gasped. "He saved us all, and now he's hurt his head!"

"What?" Kevin echoed, turning around to face the girls.

"Watch where you're going, jackass!" Roxanne growled, her brown eyes flashed angrily at Kevin as she spoke.

"But…" Kevin began, glancing between his fallen trainer and the girls. "I meant you no harm! I don't know what went wrong, I just lost control, that's all!"

"Try explaining that to poor old Lord Flash!" Trixie snapped.

Kevin looked down at his trainer again as Lord Flash slowly rolled over onto his knees.

"Lord Flash, are you alright?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm fine, Comrade," Lord Flash replied.

Lord Flash slowly got to his feet one hand still clamped over one side of his head. He turned around to face Kevin, nodding his head.

"I'm fine," he said again as his hand slid from his head.

"Eugh!" Mars blurted as the damage of Kevin's attack came into view.

"Weird!" Trixie muttered.

Kevin frowned beneath his mask at Lord Flash, alarmed to see that part of his trainer's mask had broken away to reveal what looked like a smooth, metallic black helmet underneath.

"Kevin Mask."

Kevin and the others turned to see Jacqueline McMadd standing a short way behind Mars, her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face.

"Oh my God!" Trixie wailed, slapping a hand onto her forehead. "I do not believe that woman is still wearing the same God damned outfit! I swear to God, if the fashion police ever catch up with her, she is facing a life sentence for her crimes!"

"Trixie!" Kiki hissed.

"Shut-up, Trixie," Roxanne added.

Jacqueline eyed Trixie over in disgust before turning back to Kevin and marching up to him.

"Just what is going on here? Lord Flash," she said, turning her attentions to Kevin's trainer. "Did you protect the girls from Kevin, or did you just protect Kevin from being disqualified?"

"What?" Kevin echoed.

"Don't play innocent with me!" Jacqueline scolded him. "Lord Flash you know that if Kevin had assaulted anyone other than Mars, he would be immediately disqualified, and we would name Mars the winner of the Chojin Crown."

"Cool," Roxanne sneered at Kevin.

"However," Jacqueline continued. "Lord Flash, your interference may well cause the same result."

"You're wrong on both accounts, Miss McMadd," Lord Flash replied defiantly. "I was in fact on my way to pick up this."

Lord Flash squatted down and retrieved a towel from the ground by the railings, waving it at Jacqueline.

"A surrender towel?" she asked, unable to hide her confusion.

"Yes," Lord Flash replied with a nod of his head. "When I noticed that it had fallen, I wanted to make sure that nobody made the mistake of thinking that Kevin had thrown it down deliberately. Now it's high time that we resumed the tournament, don't you think?"

"Amen to dat!" Mars muttered.

"Very well, let the match continue!" Jacqueline declared, before marching off again.

"Freak," Mars shot at Lord Flash.

"Cheat," Kevin snarled.

"Huh?" Mars roared, turning on Kevin.

"I said, cheat!" Kevin yelled into Mars's face.

"Look who's talkin'!" Mars yelled back.

"You need the Mask of Madness to win this fight, do you scarface?"

"Oh no, I'm not fallin' for dat old trick! I ain't takin' off my Mask of Madness!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah!"

Kevin suddenly grabbed a hand over Mars's face, curling his fingers into the eyeholes of Mars's mask. Blinded by the move, Mars staggered around for a moment in confusion, only regaining his senses as Kevin suddenly grabbed the peak on top of his head and began to tug.

"Geddoff me, ya bastard!" Mars yelled, grabbing at Kevin's wrists and kicking out blindly at him.

"There can only be one mask in this match, and it's Kevin Mask!" Kevin yelled.

The audience gasped in horror as Mars's headdress shifted on the top of his head, revealing his left ear and a chunk of bright red hair. Mars struggled desperately against Kevin, panic gripping him as Kevin managed to force his visor back up, the effects of the Mask of Madness fading as his headdress darkened to its usual deep red colour.

"To hell wid dis!" Mars muttered, kicking a leg out directly in front of himself.

The heel of Mars's foot successfully thumped into Kevin's gut, knocking him back. Mars quickly readjusted his headdress and ran to the ring, sliding back in under the bottom rope. He quickly got to his feet inside the ring and tried to fix his headdress back into its rightful position; but in his distracted state, Mars failed to hear Kevin leap into the ring behind him.

"Fight me like a man!" Kevin yelled out hurriedly.

"What da–?" Mars yelped, as Kevin yanked his headdress clean off his head in one swift movement.

Mars paused, blinking dumbly as he watched the audience gasp in shock. There was a brief pause before a blinding chorus of flashlights struck up. Mars grabbed the sides of his head, his face twisting in despair as he felt his exposed ears and chunks of his floppy hair.

"Bastard!" he groaned, grabbing handfuls of the hair on top of his exposed head.

Mars spun around to face Kevin, who was climbing up one corner of the ring, holding Mars's headdress up as though it were some sort of trophy. Mars snarled in rage as the paparazzi around the ring all raced around to capture Kevin's moment of glory.

"Two can play dat game…" Mars grumbled, creeping up behind Kevin.

Mars reached his hands up towards Kevin, but Kevin sensed his intentions and quickly threw Mars's headdress over his face, blinding and disorienting Mars for long enough to jump out of the corner. Mars grabbed his headdress in one hand and flung it aside, not particularly caring where it landed.

"Hey, the Mask of Madness!" Kiki wailed as Mars's headdress flew through the air towards the audience.

Kiki and the girls turned to watch as one person in the audience stepped forwards, catching Mars's headdress in one hand.

"Hey, nice catch!" Trixie muttered.

"But…" Kiki began.

"Just sit back down and watch the match!" Roxanne snapped, pushing Kiki back into her seat.

Inside the ring Kevin was still stumbling away from Mars, who hurried after him, swiping a hand at Kevin's neck. Much to the surprise of everyone in attendance – including Kevin Mask himself – Mars's fingers caught the release mechanism on Kevin's mask, which slid open, falling to the mat with a dull thud. Kevin quickly covered his face with both hands, hanging his head and allowing his long hair to hide his features.

"Alls fair, squealer!" Mars sneered, grabbing up Kevin's mask and flinging it in the same direction he had thrown his own headdress.

"Kevin's mask!" Trixie yelped.

"That could seriously hurt someone!" Kiki pointed out, as the giant iron helmet hurtled towards them.

Once again, the person who had caught Mars's headdress stepped forwards, effortlessly catching Kevin's mask in one hand.

"Weird!" Trixie muttered, turning to Kiki.

"Who is that, anyway?" Kiki asked.

"Sit down and shut-up, both of you!" Roxanne yelled irritably.

Trixie and Kiki obediently sat back down, turning back to the ring.

"Kevin, don't let his cheap distraction tactics put you off!" Lord Flash rasped from outside the ring. "This match is yours to win, Comrade!"

Kevin slowly lifted his hands from his face, parting the curtains of blonde hair covering his face. He screwed up his eyes as another barrage of flashbulbs hit him, blinking against them to focus on Lord Flash's face. Kevin baulked at what he saw; not only did Lord Flash have an unusual, shiny, black metallic covering over his head beneath his mask, but he also had a bright red mouth that could happily swallow a whole watermelon; and he was foaming from both corners of his newly uncovered mouth like a rabid dog.

"Flash?" he whimpered.

"C'mon pretty boy, we got ourselves match to have!" Mars ordered, grabbing a handful of Kevin's hair and pulling him back.

"Don't pull my hair, you ignorant git!" Kevin snapped, turning around and kicking Mars in the abdomen.

Mars groaned, doubling over from the blow; but he quickly found his smile again as he watched Kevin smooth his gloved hands over his hair to straighten it out once more, lifting his chin into the air indignantly.

"I guess dere ain't no masks in da ring now, squealer," Mars said as he straightened up. "Now it's just you and me, one on one."

"Unlike you, scarface, my mask was not the key to my power!" Kevin haughtily replied.

"You think da Mask of Madness was da only Ace up my sleeve?" Mars asked. "Heh, and here I thought you was a smart ass, squealer."

"Don't call me squealer, scarface."

"Don't call me scarface, squealer."

"Scarface."

"Squealer."

"Scarface!"

"Squealer!"

"I didn't squeal anything, you complete turd of a man!"

"Jackass."

"Wanker!"

"Loser."

"Are you gonna fight me, or are you just going to stand there and talk crap, like you always do! Honestly, it's always the same with you! Blah, blah, bloody blah! You never give it a rest, do you? You never stop bloody talking! God, it's worse than being married!"

Mars shrugged his shoulders, before pouncing forwards and spearing Kevin to the mat.

"Dat better for ya, squealer?" Mars yelled as he pinned Kevin to the canvas.

"You're going to have to do much better than that, scarface!" Kevin snarled.

"I guess I could use one of my other Aces…"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Okay, if you say so…"

Mars released Kevin, standing up in front of him. Kevin scrambled to his feet, swiping his hair back from his face with one hand, frowning at Mars questioningly as an eerie aura began to glow around Mars.

"What are you doing?" Kevin asked nervously.

"Oh dis?" Mars growled, an intense look darkening his features. "Dis is just a little somethin' a friend o' mine taught me. He calls it da… Red Rain of Pain!"

Mars chopped a hand at Kevin, swiping his hand down diagonally over Kevin's chest. Kevin looked down at himself with a gasp of dismay, touching a hand to the line Mars had carved in his armour, which ran from his right shoulder to the left side of his ribcage, narrowly missing his skin.

"You bastard, this armour isn't even mine!" Kevin wailed, looking up at Mars again.

"Oh yeah, it belongs to daddy, huh?" Mars replied, smirking at Kevin. "Boo hoo for you."

"My father will be furious!" Kevin growled.

"Got an issue, get a tissue," Mars replied dismissively.

"You…"

"Oh, and one more thing."

"What?"

"I ain't done wid da Red Rain of Pain yet."

"What? Ah!"

Kevin leapt back out of range as Mars chopped at his chest again. Mars merely lunged forwards, chopping at Kevin again. Again Kevin leapt out of range, escaping harm by a much narrower margin. Mars jumped forwards and chopped at Kevin again, and again Kevin leapt back; but this time, Kevin did not move quickly enough. Although Mars missed Kevin's body, Kevin's hair - which had been flying out in front of him as he leapt back – was caught by the lethal blade on Mars's hand.

Mars paused, watching as a chunk of Kevin's prized ash blonde hair frittered to the ground between them, arching his eyebrows curiously as the hair came to rest on the surface of the ring mat.

"You cut my hair!" Kevin roared, swinging a fist at Mars.

Mars looked up in time to take a roundhouse punch to the jaw that sent him reeling. Kevin quickly capitalised on Mars's moment of weakness by grabbing the Skull of Mystery at Mars's throat. Realising he would not be able to stop Kevin from removing the sacred Broken family heirloom, Mars decided to employ a different tactic to counteract Kevin's attack.

"Let's see how you like havin' a big ass scar in your back, asshole!" Mars growled.

Mars chopped his right hand hard into Kevin's side, and slowly dragged downwards, cutting a gash through Kevin's skin. Kevin clawed his hand hard into the material of Mars's wrestling outfit as the white shock of pain shot through his body. He gritted his teeth as blood began to seep over his skin, ripping the Skull of Mystery from Mars's throat.

Kevin sighed in relief as the blade retracted into Mars's hand, staggering back from Mars to steal a quick glance at the damage his foe had inflicted. The sight of a gaping flesh wound was enough to irate Kevin, who looked up sharply at Mars and then down at the small skull in the palm of his hand. Kevin quickly surveyed his surroundings, carefully weighing up his options. It seemed like the logical thing to do would be to throw the Skull of Mystery away to prevent Mars from using it again; but what if someone like Kiki caught it, Kevin asked himself?

Mars grabbed a hand at the skull, and, without fully considering the implications of his actions, Kevin quickly snatched the skull out of Mars's reach and popped it into his mouth, swallowing it over. Mars curled his lip in disgust as he watched the outline of the tiny skull move down Kevin's throat.

"What da hell did you do dat for?" he asked.

Kevin coughed, gulping hard and thumping a fist against his chest as he tried to force the solid object down his gullet.

"Because I don't want that little devil charm falling into the wrong hands," Kevin calmly replied.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please," Ikeman's voice boomed out through the stadium.

"Huh?" Mars grunted, looking up at the Sky Box.

"What now?" Kevin grumbled, turning to the Sky Box for himself.

"My sister Jacqueline isn't the only one who can make shocking announcements in this match!" Ikeman sang. "I've noticed that both Mars and Kevin Mask are very popular with the fans of the IWF, and I do love to give the fans just what they want!"

"Jackass," Mars muttered at Ikeman's face as it appeared on the giant monitor high above the audience.

"Wanker," Kevin mumbled at Ikeman.

"However, I've decided that since you fans all chose my stupid sister over me, I'm not going to give you what you want any more," Ikeman darkly continued, his cheerful expression on the monitor changing to one of understated menace. "You want to see both Kevin Mask and Mars in the IWF? Well guess what, you're not getting to. There is only one space left on the IWF roster, and only the winner can take it. If Mars wins, Kevin can never fight for the IWF again. If Kevin wins, Mars will never fight for the IWF again."

Mars and Kevin turned to each other, eying each other over with a mixture of emotions.

"In the end, fans," Ikeman continued, his face twisting further until he looked positively evil. "There can be only one."

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Kevin still has to use his OLAP, and Mars still has another Ace up his sleeve to combat his long-standing rival. Both wrestlers give their all, and the final match of the Ikeman Chojin Crown draws to a dramatic conclusion as Ikeman's words prove to be true. **Chapter 32 – There Can be Only One**.

**A/N(2):** Hope this chapter was worth the wait!


	34. There Can be Only One

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay folks, I hope it only served to build the suspense! Unfortunately, this one is partly a cut and paste job of the Chojin Crown final from the anime show, but on the plus side, it's another unforgivably long one! Hopefully (she says optimistically) I will be able to update this fic more frequently now that _Bad Boys_ is finished. Hopefully. I'm not guaranteeing anything, especially since the chapters just seem to be getting longer and longer and longer!

**Recap: **Buffaloman told Mars he has to win the Chojin Crown to stay on Earth, Kid Muscle demanded that Mars beat Kevin Mask, the final match began, Mars used the Red Rain of Pain and both wrestlers were demasked, Ikeman McMadd announced that only the winner could join the IWF.

* * *

**Chapter 32 – There Can be Only One**

Broken Junior hummed quietly to himself as he edged his way along the front row to his seat next to his son Jaeger, carefully balancing a tray of sodas and popcorn as he went. As he reached his seat, Broken turned to Jaeger, his smile slowly fading as he locked eyes with the young Chojin.

"Jaeger…?" he asked slowly. "Are you alright, mein boy?"

Jaeger gulped audibly, a giant lump moving visibly down his throat. Broken had not thought it possible for Jaeger to grow any paler, but somehow he managed it then, shifting from deathly white to a disturbing bluish shade of white.

"Jaeger, vhere is ze Skull of Mystery?" Broken asked, lowering the tray as he spotted the precious family heirloom missing from its prime location on the neck of Jaeger's shirt.

"Vould you be very upset if I told you zhat I lent it to a friend?" Jaeger asked sheepishly, grinning hopefully as he ended his question.

"Lent it to a friend you say?" Broken repeated. "As long a ze friend is Kid Muscle, I vill not be at all mad vith you."

"Ah."

Jaeger looked over his shoulder at the others. Dik Dik shook his head nervously, Terry shrugged his shoulders and Wally turned away as though ashamed of Jaeger.

"And vhat about if I lent it to Mars?" Jaeger asked quietly, turning back to Broken, but avoiding his father's eyes.

"You did vhat?" Broken echoed, the tray shuddering in his hands.

Jaeger watched the sodas resting on the tray as their contents sloshed out, creating a small lake over the surface of the tray.

"You lent it to…"

Broken's words slowly trailed off as he stared at Jaeger, his jaw hanging open. Jaeger slowly looked up at his father, grinning innocently again. Broken turned his head abruptly towards the ring, squinting up at the two Chojins standing facing the giant monitor that hung high in the stadium.

"But Mars doesn't have ze Skull of Mystery," he noted. "He doesn't even have his headdress!"

"Vell, he did have ze Skull of Mystery…" Jaeger muttered.

"Vhat?" Broken yelped, turning back to his son.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Kevin Mask swallowed the Skull of Mystery, okay?" Roxanne snapped irritably. "Now both of you, shut-up!"

Jaeger looked over his shoulder at Roxanne, his eyes almost popping out of his head in shock; but Roxanne was preoccupied with the events inside the ring and failed to notice his fearful state of anxiety.

"Jaeger, is zhis true?" Broken asked sternly.

"Ja," Jaeger reluctantly confessed, turning back to his father. "But I'm sure ve can get it back vhen Kevin goes to ze toilet tomorrow."

Jaeger froze as the realisation of what he had just said fully hit him. He blinked owlishly up at Broken, who looked superfluous to the whole situation for a brief moment, before he slowly fell backwards, collapsing alongside the steel railings in an overwhelmed faint.

"Ah well, at least you got yourself outta that one easy, huh Jaeger?" Terry chirped.

"Heh…" Jaeger nervously replied, turning back to the ring as the giant monitor in the stadium returned to a shot of the ring, and Mars and Kevin turned to face each other with military precision.

"Well, you heard the man," Kevin said taking a step towards Mars. "There can be only one."

"Dere can be only one," Mars agreed, taking a step towards Kevin.

"So let's do this," Kevin said with a nod of his head.

Mars nodded his agreement, and the two leapt towards each other again. Kevin quickly overpowered Mars, glancing over at his trainer, briefly frowning in concern at the positively rabid expression on Lord Flash's face.

"Get him in the Tower Bridge, Comrade!" Lord Flash ordered.

"A-alright," Kevin muttered, trying his best to ignore the fact that Lord Flash was beginning to look completely inhuman.

Kevin wrestled Mars around into his famous hold, one eye twitching involuntarily as Mars merely laughed as he was bent backwards over Kevin's shoulders.

"What are you laughing at, scarface?" Kevin snarled.

"You haven't got him in it hard enough!" a shrill voice yelled out from the audience. "Besides, you can't honestly expect to beat Mars with a move like that!"

Kevin shifted his eyes to Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki, scowling at them in anger. He made a mental note to seek revenge for their catcalls; but Kevin's plans for vengeance were wiped from his mind as Mars swung an elbow into the gaping gash down his side. Kevin's bottom jaw dropped as an intense pain shot through his body, his arms loosening enough for Mars to slither out of the Tower Bridge.

"That wasn't fair," Kevin groaned, leaping out of Mars's range as Mars aimed a punch at his face.

"Oh no, you ain't gonna make any excuses," Mars growled. "I'm gonna beat you fair and square. I don't wanna hear you sayin' you was distracted!"

"So tell the bitch to shut-up!" Kevin replied through gritted teeth as he continued to dodge Mars's fists.

"Why don't you tell her?" Mars sneered.

"I got enough attitude out of Kiki the night we shared a hotel room!"

Mars stopped, his arms falling to his sides. His eyes slowly widened as his face drained of colour. Kevin, who was still clutching both hands over the wound in his side, took a moment to notice Mars's expression.

"Oh don't look at me like that!" Kevin scoffed. "I had to do it! The stupid cow locked herself out of her own hotel! It was either that or leave her on the streets!"

"I think I'm gonna have to kill you, Mask," Mars coldly replied.

"I thought we had already established that only one of us can leave this ring alive!" Kevin retorted.

"I hope you're ready to be reunited wid your mother, Mask."

"How could you…?"

Kevin and Mars launched themselves at each other again. Mars's larger, heavier form momentarily tipped the balance in his favour, as Kevin fell to the mat, Mars landing on top of him. Baring his teeth in a positively feral fashion, Mars thumped a fist into the wound in Kevin's side. Kevin cried out in pain, clawing a hand at Mars's head.

"Kevin Mask, you're pathetic!" a voice yelled out.

Kevin growled in anger, grabbing a handful of Mars's hair and yanking to one side. Kevin pulled Mars towards his uninjured side, thumping Mars's head against the mat. The force of the impact caused one of Mars's fangs to nip into his bottom lip, drawing blood that quickly mixed with his own sweat, making the injury seem far more severe than it actually was. Kevin lifted Mars's head up and slammed it down again. Mars quickly pulled his fist from Kevin's wound, grabbing at Kevin's arm with both hands. Mars eventually managed to dislodge Kevin's hold, but not before losing a fistful of his prized red hair.

Mars quickly got to his feet, raking his fingers through his hair in disbelief. As Kevin stood up in front of him, Mars dragged the back of one hand across his mouth, starting in shock as he saw the smear of his own blood across his knuckles. Kevin pointed at Mars and began to laugh, only serving to fuel Mars's anger. Mars charged at Kevin, grabbing handfuls of his hair and jumping up to execute a Bulldog on Kevin. The audience gasped and someone screamed as Mars aimed towards one corner-post of the ring.

"Kevin, look out!" Lord Flash shrieked.

Kevin looked up in alarm at the rapidly approaching steel post. He could see that Mars was aiming himself to fly right over the top rope, slamming Kevin into the corner-post face-first. Kevin tried to pull back from the direction Mars was heading, but failed to miss a collision with steel post. One side of Kevin's head smacked into the top corner of the post, and Mars was jerked back, his shoulder and hip banging into the post before he fell awkwardly to the padded floor below.

Another scream resounded from the audience, and several people turned to see Jacqueline McMadd standing in front of the Tusket family, clutching onto the steel railings at staring up at the ring in awe and fear.

"What's the matter, Jacqueline?" Lord Flash hissed as he sighted her. "Isn't this what you wished for, a brutal, bloody, bone-crushing match? Don't tell me that you, of all people, are having a change of heart? Ha, I didn't even know you had a heart!"

Jacqueline stared back at Lord Flash, gulping audibly. Even though she was trembling all over, and had turned sickeningly pale, she raised her chin defiantly to answer him.

"No, you're right," she said firmly. "This is exactly what I wanted to see. This is what everyone in the stadium secretly wanted to see: pure excitement."

"If that's what you really believe, why do you look so concerned?" Lord Flash pressed. "This is what happens in the Chojin Crown. The combatants are beaten, battered and bruised. Without pain and suffering, there can be no glory. I thought you would celebrate this and not cringe and cower like some fainthearted schoolgirl. I had respect for you when you were hard as nails, but I fear you've grown weak and soft!"

Kevin Mask staggered back from the corner-post, clawing a hand at his face to clear the blood from his nose and mouth. He squinted down at Lord Flash, who was continuing to look more and more maniacal and less and less human over the course of time. Kevin moved his eyes to the person his trainer was addressing, rolling his eyes in disgust as he caught sight of Jacqueline McMadd; she was probably the one he had heard shouting abuse at him.

"Get that maddening McMadd woman out of my sight!" he ordered, pointing a finger at Jacqueline.

"No distractions, remember?" Mars's voice spoke into his ear.

Kevin spun around, ducking down as Mars swung a roundhouse punch at his jaw, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Bloody hell, you got up here fast!" he muttered.

"What's da matter, can't keep up wid me no more, Mask?" Mars taunted him.

"You wish!" Kevin sneered, ducking down lower and flinging Mars over his back.

Mars flipped over in the air, landing expertly on the edge of the ring apron with his back to Kevin. He began to chuckle smugly to himself at his own quick thinking and agility, but Kevin quickly silenced him.

"I knew you would do that, scarface," Kevin sighed. "You're so predictable sometimes."

Mars yelped in shock as Kevin grabbed his arms and legs, locking him up in the ropes.

"Royal Stretch!" Kevin shouted.

"Hey Mask, dis ain't cool!" Mars wailed.

Kevin merely tugged harder at Mars, the golden flare of his Maelstrom Power alighting around him.

"That's it, Kevin!" Lord Flash cried. "Stretch him! Stretch him to the breaking point!"

Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki paled as Lord Flash said the words "breaking point", his voice turning into a rasping, mechanical snarl.

"Harder, you can't beat him like that!" a voice yelled out.

Kevin began to writhe in frustration at the taunts of the female voice arising from the audience, allowing Mars scope to fight back. Mars pulled his arms forward, snapping the ring rope and freeing the top half of his body from Kevin's hold. A swift elbow to Kevin's open wound caused him to release his hold of Mars's legs. As Kevin fell, face-first, to the mat, Mars quickly grabbed the top rope, leaned back as far as he could, and then launched himself into the air, aiming a flying tackle at Kevin.

Kevin quickly rolled out of the way, rolling over to stand up. Mars swung his legs forwards, barely managing to land on his feet before straightening and rounding on Kevin. The audience erupted in applause for the impressive tie. Kevin was still glowing his unique golden colour, and an odd red aura was beginning to appear around Mars.

As the cheers of the audience subsided, leaving the two men facing each other in silence, the only sounds being their heavy breathing as each attempted to stare the other down, the voice once again shouted out from the audience.

"You suck, Kevin Mask!" it yelled. "You'll never win, you'll never be a Chojin Crown Champion! You're nothing but a loser!"

The golden aura surrounding Kevin began to diminish as he considered the jeers of the girl in the audience whilst studying the focussed and determined expression on his opponent's face. Kevin was beginning to doubt his ability to win; for the first time since he had been hanging from Mars's hand on the log in The Academy, Kevin was suddenly very aware of his own mortality.

"Remember your father, Kevin!" Lord Flash shouted, smacking a hand against the ring apron. "Win this one for him, Kevin! For the Mask family name! For honour!"

Kevin turned to look at Lord Flash, and Mars immediately charged at him. Kevin quickly turned back to Mars, catching him in a Shoulder Lock and jumping up into the air with him. Mars struggled to fight Kevin off, but Kevin quickly brought Mars back down to the canvas with a Tornado Fisherman's Suplex. Mars quickly got to his feet again, one hand pressed to his forehead as he staggered around in a daze. Kevin quickly leapt onto Mars's shoulders, clamping his head in a Leg Lock.

"No more games, scarface!" he sneered.

"Good work, Kevin!" Lord Flash cheered from outside the ring. "Now switch to Tactic Ten, Elbow Storm. Your father's watching this match right now Kevin, show him how strong you really are!"

"This is for you, father!" Kevin growled.

Kevin began attacking Mars's head with a series of elbow blows. Mars quickly reached up his hands in a desperate attempt to block Kevin's attacks.

"Poor ol' Mars is tryin' to protect himself with his hands, but can y'all hear that awful crunchin' noise?" Terry whispered to the others. "I think Kevin Mask's so darn sure of himself that he's eatin' an' beatin' at the same time!"

Dik Dik arched his eyebrows cynically at Terry, but Terry failed to notice his reaction as he stared, open-jawed, at the action in the ring above them.

"This ain't good!" Meat piped up, standing up from his seat next to Kid Muscle. "It's like I'm havin' de ja vu all over again! That's the very same move that Warsman used to almost knock out King Muscle in the twenty-first Chojin Crown! He's the only Chojin who's ever done it! My suspicions about Flash were right!"

"You mean Lord Flash is really…?" Marie began, glancing from Meat to Lord Flash in horror.

"Uh-huh!" Meat confirmed, nodding his head.

"Oh my!" Marie gasped.

"I get the feeling that's a really bad thing for Mars, right?" Kiki whimpered.

"Hey, if the guy interferes in the match, Mars wins anyway, right?" Trixie said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't think it's interference we have to worry about," Roxanne dryly replied. "It's more what sort of brutal tactics this "Warsman" might have passed on to Kevin."

Trixie and Kiki exchanged looks of alarm before turning to Lord Flash, who was panting and foaming at the mouth as he watched the match at hand.

"That's it, Kevin!" he rasped, clapping his hands together at what he saw. "Keep up a steady beat while beating! Excellent. Your form is perfect…"

In desperation to fight back, Mars raised his arms above his head and tried to hit at the still vulnerable gash in Kevin's side; but Kevin quickly turned Mars's move against him, grabbing his arms into a standing triangle hold.

"You've just sealed your own fate, scarface," Kevin said coldly as he locked the hold into place. "Quite a strategic blunder for a man of you alleged abilities. I guess my Elbow Storm must have scrambled what little there was left of your miserable little brain."

Under the pressure of the standing triangle hold, Mars's legs buckled beneath him, and he crashed down hard onto his knees.

"I'm not finished with you yet, scarface," Kevin reminded him. "Not by a long shot. Not only will I restore the Mask family name to glory today, but I will also destroy your name and you entirely. Your irksome little girlfriend is going to need a shovel to scrape up your smeared remains from the canvas by the time I'm through with you."

"Quite talking and finish him off Kevin, you big pussy!"

Kevin snorted, looking up at the audience in an attempt to locate the exact source of that irritating voice. Again, his attention landed in the vicinity of Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki, but all three were perfectly still and silent.

"Stupid little…" Kevin muttered.

"Leave my girl outta dis…" Mars growled.

"What?"

Kevin cried out in shock as the red aura began glow around Mars again, and he dropped backwards, slamming Kevin's back against the mat. The force of the impact broke Kevin's hold, and Mars slithered to freedom, throwing himself at the ring ropes and using them to drag himself to his feet as he heaved in several much needed breaths of air. Behind him, Kevin leapt back up, charging towards him again. Kevin grabbed Mars from behind to execute a German Suplex, but Mars quickly countered the move with a Reverse German Suplex, dropping Kevin to the mat a short distance from the side Lord Flash was hovering at.

"Kevin," Lord Flash hissed, creeping closer to Kevin's side.

"What?" Kevin groaned.

"Listen to me, Kevin," Lord Flash insisted. "A long time ago, your father tried to teach me a few of his deadliest techniques. Unfortunately, one of them proved to be so unbelievably difficult that even I failed to master it. As you know, that move is the OLAP. Its power is why I begged you to learn it, Kevin. The other secret technique, the one that Robin Mask helped me learn thirty-eight years ago is in the pages of this book."

"You liar!" Kevin roared, pushing himself up onto his elbows to fully face his trainer. "How dare you claim that my father taught you any of his secret techniques? That's impossible! My father never taught anyone outside of the family! He may have been a friend of yours at one time, but he would never reveal the secrets of his deadliest techniques to you, no matter how good a friend you were to him!"

"No Comrade, you're mistaken," Lord Flash quietly replied, his voice thin and tinny, making him once again sound almost like a robot. "He did teach one person outside of the Mask family."

Kevin scrunched up his nose, rolling his eyes upwards in thought. Slowly, he began to nod his head, lowering his eyes back to Lord Flash.

"Yes, I do believe you're right, now that I come to think of it," he agreed. "My father did teach one other. He was a famous Chojin warrior and the closest thing to a friend my father ever had… And yet if you claim that my father taught you, Lord Flash that could only be true if you were in fact that famous wrestler in disguise…"

"Perhaps, Kevin, perhaps," Lord Flash replied vaguely, waving a hand in the air. "But I will tell you this much, Kevin: your father's techniques made me much stronger than I would have been without them, and that is why I've insisted on you learning a technique I could never master: OLAP. Your father and I both believe in you, Kevin. You can do it. You can do it, Kevin. You can do what your father and I both failed to do; you can win the Chojin Crown with this technique, the Secret of Secrets!"

"Lord Flash, thank you for believing in me," Kevin replied.

"No, believe in yourself, Kevin!" Lord Flash enthused, punching a fist through the air. "Make our dreams come true!"

"Oh, please!" Mars groaned, grabbing at his hair with both hands. "Enough o' dis Disney crap already!"

Mars reached down to grab a handful of Kevin's hair, but Kevin quickly rolled over onto his back, kicking out with one foot, his heel striking Mars's kneecap. Mars staggered back, releasing Kevin, allowing him the opportunity to get to his feet once more.

"I'll make our dreams come true, Lord Flash!" Kevin declared. "And you, scarface, will never shatter our dreams! It is you who will be destroyed today, and we shall rebuild the Mask family's glorious dynasty of pride and honour on the ruins of your defeat!"

Kevin swung a fist at Mars, punching him hard in the jaw, marginally surprised that Mars made no attempt to block the blow. Mars merely grinned and returned Kevin's attack, punching Kevin in the jaw in return. Kevin punched Mars back again, and again Mars punched him.

"What are doing?" the female voice yelled from the audience. "You'll never get anywhere in a competition of fisticuffs with Mars, you bloody idiot! Do something constructive Kevin, you reject!"

Kevin spun around to scowl at the three girls in the audience again, allowing Mars to land a particularly hard punch on his temple that filled his vision with grey stars. In Kevin's dazed state, he failed to realise what was happening until Mars had already thrown him up into the air and run across to the ropes, throwing himself against them.

"Mars Millennium!" he yelled, launching himself forwards.

Kevin quickly shook his head, blinking back his dizziness to look down at what he was falling into.

"Go Mars!" Trixie cheered. "Get him with Kid's best move!"

"Does he always have to steal other people's moves?" Dik Dik grumbled.

"Get a load of the time!" Meat said, looking down at his watch. "Just a minute short of how long it took King Muscle to beat Robin Mask in the last Chojin Crown!"

"Alright!" Kid cheered, standing up from his seat. "Go for it, Mars! Beat Kevin and my dad at the same time! Show my dad the Muscle Millennium really is the best wrestling move ever!"

At the side of the ring, Lord Flash tilted his head back and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Kevin!" he yelled at his protégé. "Now, Kevin! It's time to put an end to Mars once and for all! Reverse his move!"

"What?" Kid Muscle yelped. "Reverse the Muscle Millennium? Not again! Look out, Mars!"

"You're right, Lord Flash!" Kevin called down. "It's time for Special Tactic number zero: Maelstrom Power!"

A burst of yellow light erupted around Kevin as he fell, drawing Mars's attention upwards.

"Too late, squealer!" Mars yelled at Kevin.

Mars grabbed out at Kevin's arms, panicking when his fingers closed around thin air.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" he said aloud. "He just disappeared! Dis ain't cool, Mask!"

Mars groaned as his forehead collided with one of Kevin's boots, halting his flight across the ring.

"Please, someone tell me that I'm dreaming!" Kid wailed. "This can't be happening! Two reversals for the Muscle Millennium? No way!"

"And now it's my turn," Kevin growled, kicking his foot forwards.

Mars flew backwards, hitting back into the set of ropes he had launched himself from and falling to the mat. Kevin marched over to where Mars had fallen, kicking him over to lie on his back on the mat. Kevin then began to relentlessly stomp into Mars's mid-section, holding the ropes for added support as he stamped his booted foot repeatedly into Mars's abdomen.

"That's it," Terry sighed. "It's the end o' the line for Mars. He's flatter than a fritter."

"No, Terry!" Kiki sobbed. "He has to fight back!"

"I have to agree with Terry, Kiki," Dik Dik added solemnly. "Kevin Mask was the better man here today."

Kiki blinked through tear-filled eyes at Dik Dik, before turning back to Terry for confirmation.

"Truth is, we should've all seen this comin'," Terry continued. "Kevin's trainin' schedule was so darn hectic, it was tougher'n puttin' socks on a rooster. That's what helped him get the edge over ol' Mars!"

"Mars trained just as hard as Kevin did!" Jaeger argued back. "I know, I vas his sparring partner!"

"Whether or not Mars trained harder, he deserves to win far more than Kevin Mask does!" Kiki wailed, as she tried to ignore the nagging thought that Mars had always been so complacent about his training for this match. "And besides, this match is far from being over! Mars still has a chance of winning. He's been down before, and he has always made a comeback! Just wait and see, he'll have a counter for Kevin's attack!"

"Kiki?" Terry said, folding his arms across his chest. "Get real! This match is over! Kevin's unstoppable!"

Kiki gasped in horror, and Trixie punched Terry in the arm, pulling a face at him that warned him to say no more.

Inside the ring, Kevin had let up his assault and was standing back, watching Mars drag himself to his feet with the aid of the ring ropes.

"Time to throw in the towel, wouldn't you say, scarface?" Kevin taunted him as he got up.

"Dream on, squealer!" Mars snarled. "I'm not goin' down to a pathetic loser like you!"

"Sticks and stones, scarface," Kevin sighed. "You name-calling can't hurt me any more, and nor can your attacks. You've used up all your own moves, and all of everyone else's for that matter, and still I'm winning. Face it, scarface, you're finished!"

"I hate to say it, but Mars's gotten himself the backend of bad luck," Terry said, oblivious to the stern look he was getting from Trixie. "He's got the same chance o' winnin' as a mouse does o' drinkin' milk out o' a cat!"

"I swear to God, if he comes out with one more stupid analogy, I'll kill him…" Kiki muttered to herself.

"Yep," Terry continued. "His pantry is plum outta puddin'!"

Kiki leapt to her feet, but Trixie quickly grabbed her and pulled her back down to her seat.

"Oh, Mars!" Kiki whimpered.

"Go, Mars, go!" Roxanne yelled, punching a fist into the air.

"Go, Mars, go!" Kid cheered.

The others quickly followed suit, spreading a cheer for Mars throughout the audience. Inside the ring, Kevin turned on the spot, screwing up his face at the thousands of fans all cheering on his opponent.

"Don't pay any attention to them, Kevin!" Lord Flash called over to Kevin. "They're nothing but a bunch of hooligans!"

"Even if I had their support, I wouldn't want it," Kevin grunted.

"So stop talking and finish him off Kevin, you yellow-bellied loser!"

Kevin bristled at the sound of the shrill female voice once again berating him. For some reason, it had the power to anger and distract him even more than the sound of thousands of fans cheering Mars's name.

"Come on, squealer," Mars said breathlessly. "Let's do dis! Are you ready? Cause you're goin' down!"

"At last!" Kevin sneered. "Scarface has got some fight in him! At least now my victory won't feel so hollow."

Mars ran at Kevin, one arm raised, ready to deliver a clothesline.

"Where are you going, scarface?" Kevin sneered, leaping out of harm's way. "Face it, you're worn out. You're on a downward spiral to failure!"

Kevin grabbed Mars from behind, locking his arms around Mars's waist. Mars choked as Kevin yanked upwards, throwing him up into the air. Kevin quickly leapt up after Mars, his Maelstrom Power glowing as brightly as ever.

"Yes, Kevin!" Lord Flash screamed, waving a fist triumphantly in the air. "Obliterate him!"

Kevin grabbed onto Mars, setting him up for his signature move.

"Big Ben Bash!" Kevin yelled as they fell towards the canvas together.

Kevin closed his eyes as he squashed Mars into the canvas, only to be deafened by the horrified screams of three females seated in the front row of the audience.

"Bloody women…" he grumbled, tossing Mars's limp form aside and rising to his feet.

"Gotta… Get… Up…" Mars said weakly, his voice muffled by the ring mat as he crawled along aimlessly on his elbows.

"How pathetic," Kevin scoffed. "A man who goes by the name of the God of War, and now he's crawling around on his knees in battle."

Kevin snorted loudly, placing his hands on his hips and leaning over Mars. The audience gasped as Kevin spat on Mars, smirking to himself at the result of his action.

"So much for honour, huh Mask?" Mars said hoarsely as he grabbed the bottom ring rope, hooking one elbow over it in an attempt to lift himself from the mat.

"Oh don't give me that crap, scarface!" Kevin retorted. "A weak man in passion is still a weak man, surely even an idiot like you knows that. You're all out of ideas, and you're all out of luck. Face it, you can't even think of something that could beat me now. And even if you could, I would see it coming. I know how your mind works. The mind of a desperate loser is anything but unpredictable."

"I guess you would know about bein' a desperate loser better den I would, Mask."

Mars slowly pulled himself to his feet with the aid of the rings ropes. Kevin lunged forwards and punched him in the gut, causing him to double over. Kevin then lifted one foot into the air and brought the heel of his boot down sharply on the back of Mars's head, knocking him back down to the mat in an ungraceful heap.

"Give up, scarface, you're no match for me," Kevin taunted.

"Stop messing about and finish him off like a real Chojin!" the sharp voice yelled at Kevin.

"I'm rather enjoying toying with him, thanks very much!" Kevin called over to the three girls, who all pulled confused faces at him in reply.

"Does dat feel good?" Mars asked as he began to drag himself up against the ropes again. "Does it feel good to humiliate me in front of everyone like dis?"

"You have humiliated yourself, scarface!" Kevin snapped. "Not that you have ever held my respect, but to give credit where it is rightfully due, there was a time when you could put up quite a good fight. But look at you now. Scared, weak and with no attack worthy of a Chojin Champion. You're like a shrivelled violet without the pleasing aroma."

Mars choked out weak laughter.

"Only you could compare me to a damn flower, Mask!" he said.

"Enough talk!" Lord Flash yelled irritably from ringside. "Kevin, the time has come! There is nothing but darkness and despair for Mars now. Kevin, it's time for the tactic called… The End…"

Trixie yelped as hairline cracks down Lord Flash's mask snapped, small fragments of his disguise dropping away to reveal more of the blackness that lay beneath.

"Alright, Maelstrom Power!" Kevin yelled, throwing back his arms as fresh bursts of golden light erupted around him.

Mars began to move away from the ropes, but Kevin stopped him with a dropkick, catching him as he fell from the impact of the blow. Kevin grabbed onto Mars's wrists and hooked his legs around Mars's midsection.

"OLAP Assault!" he yelled as he locked in the infamous and deadly technique.

"Oh God!" Kiki wailed, burying her head into Trixie's shoulder as Mars cried out in pain.

"Looks like it's the end o' the line for ol' Mars," Terry sighed, shaking his head.

"I'll second that, look!" Meat cried, pointing up at the stands where the Muscle League Legends were sat.

Ramen Man was standing, apparently pointing at the ring. As they watched on, Buffaloman followed his lead. Kiki slowly turned around to look at what had captivated the others' attention.

"What's going on?" she asked fearfully, looking around the others. "What's up with those two? What are they doing? What does all this mean?"

"That there's the Shoot sign, Kiki," Terry solemnly replied, turning to face Kiki as he spoke. "It's a signal to the crowd. It shows what the judges think about the move. I'm afraid they only use it when they think a move is practically perfect."

"What does all this mean?" Kiki repeated, turning to her other side for further explanation.

"It means they think there is no escape from this move," Dik Dik darkly explained.

Kiki turned back to the ring, wincing as Mars moaned pitifully in pain. She blinked up at the scene before her, swiping a hand at her forehead as raindrops began to obscure her vision. As they watched on, the rainfall grew heavier, quickly drenching everyone in the attendance; except, apparently, Kevin Mask. The rainwater was evaporating off of Kevin's body in steam clouds as his body glowed and strained to hold Mars in the excruciating hold.

"So let me get this straight…" Trixie began cautiously. "Mars, according to you, Terry, is…"

"I'm afraid so, Trixie," Terry replied. "Looks like ol' Mars is gonna lose."

"Come on, Kevin, you can't honestly expect to win with a stupid move like that!"

"Damn you!" Kevin roared, the voice from the audience once more stabbing into his nerves.

Kevin pulled Mars's arms harder, drawing fresh and more desperate cries of pain from his opponent.

"I'll show you stupid!" Kevin snarled, his Maelstrom Power glowing brighter than ever.

With Kevin's new increase in power, and his added pressure on Mars's arms – pulling his arms so far back that Mars's shoulderblades were pressed together in the middle of his back – two consecutive snapping sounds rang out.

"Was that…?" Trixie asked, her face paling in anticipation of the inevitable confirmation of her suspicions.

"That there was the sound of ol' Mars's arms snappin'," Terry confirmed. "They were clean wrenched outta their sockets!"

Kiki cried out before pressing her face into Trixie's shoulder again. Trixie reached a reassuring arm around her friend's shoulders as, inside the ring, Kevin released his hold, causing Mars to flop to the ring mat. Kevin stepped away from Mars's limp and lifeless form, wiping his hands over his face, clearing away the excess sweat and blood. He began stretching his arms and shoulders experimentally, but his trainer quickly admonished his complacency.

"Kevin!" Lord Flash rattled.

"What now?" Kevin growled, rolling his eyes in frustration.

"Don't celebrate your victory until you've achieved it, Comrade!" Lord Flash continued. "In his Chojin Crown final match, your father made the very same mistake you are making now. He had King Muscle beaten, but instead of kicking him when he was down, he made the fatal error of showing him mercy. This was all his enemy needed to recharge his power and win the Chojin Crown. Comrade, don't make the same mistake. Show him no mercy!"

"Yes, no mercy," Kevin agreed, nodding his head and rounding on Mars, who was beginning to stir. "My father was a fool, his preoccupation with what he calls "good sportsmanship" was the obsession of a loser. Fear not, Lord Flash, I will never make that same mistake. Unlike my father, I am prepared to win at any cost!"

"If he has any sense, he'll just stay down," Dik Dik said.

"All his favourite techniques have failed him, and now he's done lost both his arms!" Terry added. "It's all over for Mars."

"You should never lose hope!" Roxanne scolded them. "Even when it seems like there is no chance of victory! Isn't that what the Muscle League is all about? Friendship, hope, supporting each other?"

"Ja, zhat's right!" Jaeger called over to them. "Mars alvays fights back! He can still vin ze Chojin Crown!"

"Mars sure showed us that he's a true Muscle Leaguer now," Wally said with a sigh. "It's not enough for Kevin to break both his arms, he's gonna have to break both his legs if he wants to stand a chance of beating Mars now!"

"You heard 'em," Mars said weakly, struggling up onto his knees, his arms hanging limply at his sides. "You can't count old scarface out just yet! I may be a Muscle Leaguer, but I ain't forgotten how to fight like a Devil Chojin."

"Oh really?" Kevin snorted.

"Yeah, dat's right," Mars replied, planting one foot on the ground and pushing himself up.

"So what's it going to be, scarface?" Kevin asked as Mars stood up before him. "Are you going to just stand there swinging your redundant arms like a lobotomised baboon, or are you going to fight back?"

"I'm gonna fight back, asshole!" Mars sneered.

"Without the use of your arms? How?"

"Listen Mask, I ain't leavin' here without da Chojin Crown, no matter what it takes!"

"You'll be leaving here empty-handed and on a stretcher, you hard-headed fool!"

"We'll see about dat."

"Then let me show you!"

"Dis match has dragged on long enough!" Lord Flash rasped from ringside, his cracking mask and foaming red mouth looking like a poor special effect from a cheap horror movie. "It's time for de final blow! Sweech to Termeenal Tacteecs and put an eyend to Mars, Dosvidania!"

"Terminal Tactics it is!" Kevin agreed, pouncing onto Mars. "This match has to end sometime, so why not let it be now?"

"Mars, no!" Jaeger yelled.

"It's over!" Terry yelled.

"No!" Kiki screamed in despair.

"This is it," Dik Dik warned.

"He's finished," Checkmate agreed.

"We still believe in you Mars!" Roxanne yelled. "The Power of Friendship will help you fight back and win!"

"Oh, give it a rest with all the sentimental hogwash already!" Kevin yelled back.

"Why don't you shut-up and get on with it, Kevin?"

Kevin paused, squinting at Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki. None of them appeared to have delivered the last insult, but the sound of Lord Flash yelling his name quickly reminded Kevin that he needed to concentrate on the fight at hand, and not let some stupid little girl distract him. Kevin threw Mars up into the air, leaping up after him and again setting him up for the Big Ben Bash.

"Sweet mackerel!" Wally cried.

"Sweet mercy!" Terry cried.

"Mars, no!" Kiki sobbed.

"Kiss you championship hopes goodbye, scarface," Kevin sneered. "Big Ben Bash!"

Mars looked down as they fell, watching as his head approached the ring mat with alarming speed. Despite the fact that part of him wanted to react to Kevin's remark, only one thought came to the forefront of Mars's mind, only one thought prevailed over all his senses. In his mind, Mars could clearly see Kiki's face as she stood before him in his locker room. Then, just as she had done many times before, she had told him that she loved him.

"Why did I never tell that I love her too?" he whispered, closing his eyes tightly.

"I don't believe this is happening, no!" Roxanne yelled, kicking at the steel railings.

Kevin and Mars fell to the ring, a giant dust cloud shrouding the outcome of Kevin's Big Ben Bash. The audience collectively held their breath as the dust thinned and a lone figure arose from the debris.

"So much for that "Power of Friendship" claptrap," Kevin Mask sneered, walking away from the centre of the ring, where Mars's broken and defeated body lay, perfectly motionless.

"Kevin!" Lord Flash called out, his voice the only sound in the stunned and silent arena. "You did it!"

The ring bell rang three times to signify that the match was indeed over; but still Mars showed no signs of life.

"You killed him, you heartless son of a bitch!" Trixie screamed at Kevin.

"Did I?" Kevin drawled, looking over his shoulder at Mars's carcass. "Then perhaps a funeral is in order. You know what they say about the Phoenix rising from the flames, perhaps cremation can have the same effect on scarface!"

Kevin walked over to Mars's body, pulling him up and dragging him to the side of the ring.

"Here, I want to celebrate my victory in peace!" Kevin said, tossing Mars out of the ring.

Mars fell limply over the top rope, his boots inadvertently clipping Lord Flash and knocking him to the ground.

"Lord Flash, are you alright?" Kevin yelped, grabbing onto the top rope and leaning over to inspect the damage caused by the impact.

Lord Flash shook himself off, the remains of his cracked mask and armour flaking off to reveal his true form beneath. Kid Muscle screamed in shock, grabbing Roxanne back from the railings.

"Lord Flash is really that villain?" he wailed. "Lord Flash is really that Russian wrestler Warsman? Half man, half robot, all villain?"

Kevin narrowed his eyes at Warsman, suddenly feeling the burn of every pair of eyes from every spectator as they watched him standing in the ring, witnessing one of the worst moments of his life.

"Why did you deceive me so?" he asked Warsman.

"As a favour to your father," Warsman flatly replied. "I taught you his techniques, and I tried to help you overcome your anger and hatred, just like he asked. I knew you would never have trusted me if you had known who I truly was or why I was training you. I did what I had to do, and now my work is done."

Warsman turned his back on Kevin and began to walk away.

"Lord F–I mean, Warsman!" Kevin stammered, walking along the side of the ring in pace with his former trainer. "Warsman, wait!"

Kevin watched as Warsman rounded the corner and began to walk back up the aisle to the backstage area.

"Warsman!" he yelled out in desperation. "Wait!"

"You're a true friend, Warshman," Robin Mask said as he joined Warsman by his side.

Kevin watched in horror as the two Legend Chojins walked up the aisle, and disappeared into the backstage area, leaving him behind.

"Your belt."

"What?" Kevin muttered, turning to see the Chojin Crown Championship Belt dangling by his side.

Kevin turned around to see Ikeman holding the belt towards him, a dark and mildly frightened expression on his face.

"Well done, Kevin!" Jacqueline McMadd said, applauding Kevin as she crossed the ring towards him.

"Oh piss off, you obnoxious cow!" Kevin snarled, snatching the belt from Ikeman and walking over to the section of broken ring ropes.

Kevin leapt out of the ring and began to stomp up the aisle towards the backstage area.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your new Chojin Crown Champion, Kevin Mask!" Jacqueline McMadd announced to the stadium.

"You suck, Kevin Mask!" one fan shouted, throwing a plastic cup at Kevin.

Kevin growled in ire as the cup bounced off his head, but continued on his way, ignoring the chorus of boos he received.

"Bloody fools," he grumbled. "They've all got damn short memories. It was only a few years ago Mars was ruining things by sneaking in here as a Devil Chojin from the DMP, and now he's everyone's hero. It makes me sick…"

"I hate you, Kevin Mask!" a little girl screamed at Kevin as he slapped aside the curtain that hung over the doorway to the backstage area.

"They all do," Kevin muttered. "But I hate them even more. Each and every one of them."

Kevin stopped, lifting up the Chojin Crown Championship Belt, slowly inspecting its gleaming features.

"What use is this piece of crap anyway?" he mumbled. "All it's done is made me even more enemies than I had before. I just want to be alone."

Kevin dropped the championship belt into a nearby trashcan and carried on, slapping aside a first aid technician who tried to offer him some assistance.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** In another ridiculously long chapter, Kid Muscle tells his father his decision, and is surprised by the actions of a friend. Dik Dik makes a decision, Terry and Trixie make an announcement and Kiki visits Mars in hospital. **Chapter 33 – The Power of Friendship**.


	35. The Power of Friendship

**A/N:** "Excellent," Lucretia said, drumming her fingers together in the style of Mr Burns. "They all fell into my trap…"

Yeah, that was cruel, I know. It was planned, it was calculated, and it took seven proof reads to perfect, but the posting of chapter 11 of _Bad Boys_ prior to the posting of chapter 32 of _The Reason_ did have the desired effect of making y'all believe that Mars was the new Chojin Crown Champ. I had to be careful how I described what Kevin was watching on the television, from the description of the match, through the descriptions of people's reactions and even when I wrote about Kevin's own feelings. But I think I pulled it off…

Oh yeah, and this one is shorter than expected since I cut out the bit about Dik Dik and added it to the next chapter.

**Recap:** Kevin Mask defeated Mars to become the Chojin Crown Champion, Lord Flash revealed himself to be Warsman, (acting on behalf of Robin Mask) and Mars appeared to be defeated in more ways than one.

* * *

**Chapter 33 – The Power of Friendship**

Roxanne stopped as she sighted Kid Muscle standing by the doorway of the Tower Hotel, their agreed meeting place that morning. In spite of her fears and anxiety, a small smile crept onto Roxanne's face, and she tilted her head to one side, sighing softly as she watched Kid standing there in his offensively bright orange sweater and matching shorts, clutching a fistful of wilting daisies in one hand.

Roxanne started towards him again, her smile giving way to a frown as a large bee began to hover over the flowers in Kid's hand, causing him to jerk in alarm. As he began trying to swat the bee away with his other hand, Kid let out a loud fart.

Roxanne stopped again, watching blankly as both the bee and the flowers fell down dead from the stench.

"Roxanne!" Kid called as he noticed her standing a short distance from him.

"Hey, Kid," she greeted him, cautiously edging closer to him.

"I got you some flowers, but I guess they died on the way here," Kid continued, looking down at the shrivelled daisies at his feet as he scratched at his head in confusion.

"Never mind," Roxanne assured him. "Are you ready to confront your dad?"

Kid slowly looked up, meeting Roxanne's eyes. He shrugged his shoulders, glancing up at the dizzying heights of the building next to him before turning back to Roxanne.

"As ready as I'm ever gonna be," he replied, nodding his head.

"I love you Kid," Roxanne said softly, stretching up to kiss the end of Kid's nose.

"I love you too Roxanne," Kid replied, taking her hands in his.

They each exchanged smiles of encouragement, before turning together to the entrance doors of the hotel.

"Roxanne!" a voice called out to them from further down the street.

"Kid Muscle!" a second voice yelled.

"What the…?" Kid muttered, frowning at something over the top of Roxanne's head.

"What is it, Kid?" she asked, before turning in the direction he was looking.

"Wait!" Trixie cried, sprinting towards them, waving one arm desperately in the air.

"We wanna come with y'all!" Terry added, running alongside Trixie.

Roxanne turned back to Kid, but saw that he was as confused and surprised as she was.

"We want to come with when you go to see King Muscle," Trixie explained breathlessly as she caught up with Kid and Roxanne.

"You want to come with us?" Roxanne repeated in disbelief.

"But why?" Kid asked.

"Cause y'all need some support, an' that's what friends are for!" Terry replied, as if the answer should have been obvious.

"Wow, thanks guys!" Kid gasped, glancing between Trixie and Terry.

"No problem, Kid!" Trixie said, smiling up at him.

"Shall we?" Roxanne asked, pointing at the hotel doors.

"Let me get that for y'all," Terry offered, jogging ahead of them to hold open the hotel door.

Roxanne linked an arm through Kid's, and together they walked through the doors. Trixie followed after them, flashing a smile at Terry as she passed him. With Kid and Roxanne in the lead, all four made their way through the hotel to the suite King Muscle and Belinda were staying in, all remaining silent until they reached the corridor King Muscle's room was on.

"Meat?" Kid yelped, skidding to a halt.

"Mom?" Roxanne yelped, skidding a halt at Kid's side.

"Kid!" Meat greeted them, holding out his arms towards them.

"Roxanne!" Marie greeted them, standing up from her position seated on the floor.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kid asked as Marie gave her adopted daughter a reassuring hug.

"Well, your decision today kinda has an effect on my future too, Kid," Meat awkwardly replied, scratching at the back of his head nervously. "But I'm gonna stand by you, no matter what, ya hear?"

"Thanks Meat, you're the best!" Kid replied.

"Suguru is waiting," Marie reminded them. "We should go."

Meat nodded his agreement, following behind Marie as she walked towards the door to King Muscle's room. Marie walked through the door first, followed by Meat, then Kid and Roxanne, then Trixie, and finally Terry. All six lined up alongside each other, with Meat at one end of the line and Terry at the other.

"Hello," Belinda greeted them.

"Hi mom," Kid replied. "Is dad here?"

"Yes, and he's been expecting you," Belinda replied. "I hope you know what you're doing, Mantaro."

"I've never been surer of anything else in my entire life, mom," Kid said firmly.

Belinda sighed, looking up at the ceiling, her eyes watering slightly as she fought back tears.

"I'll call your father," she eventually said.

Belinda opened the door to the balcony, and King Muscle stepped into the room, followed closely by his brother Ataru and Vance McMadd. Kid kept his eyes fixed on his father, but began reaching for Roxanne's hand. Roxanne glanced up at him, grabbing onto his hand reassuringly, before turning back to face King Muscle herself.

"You understand that your decision will be heard by a Kinniku and the chairman of the IWF, making it final," King Muscle addressed his son.

"I understand," Kid agreed.

"So what will it be?" King Muscle asked. "Are you to retrain as a Justice Chojin of the Muscle League and ascend to the throne as King of Muscle Planet, or do you chose to abdicate your birthright to live with the girl?"

"I chose Roxanne," Kid firmly replied.

"You don't have to answer right away," King Muscle said. "I'm sure once you have considered the gravity of the situation–"

"I chose Roxanne," Kid repeated.

"The gravity of the situation," King Muscle continued, his voice rising in volume. "The implications of your decision, I'm sure you will think that–"

"I said I chose Roxanne," Kid insisted.

"I'm sure you will think that it would be foolish to rush into your decision, and that the sensible thing to do is to enlist with the Hercules Factory–"

"Are you even listening to me, dad? I said I chose Roxanne! I chose Roxanne!"

King Muscle stared at Kid in a state of shock, as though hearing his decision for the first time.

"And that is you final decision?" he asked.

"That is my final decision, Sir," Kid answered, tightening his hold on Roxanne's hand.

"Then you lose your right to be king of Muscle Planet," King Muscle explained. "You give up the chance to take the throne."

"If that means I get to be with Roxanne, then it's worth it."

King Muscle slowly nodded his head.

"Mantaro, no!" Belinda wailed, sobbing into her hands.

"Meat, you must return to Muscle Planet with us," King Muscle said, turning to Kid's pint-sized manager.

Meat nodded his understanding.

"Wait!" Trixie cried, holding up one hand.

Terry nudged Trixie nervously, staring at her with wide, frightened eyes that warned her to keep quiet.

"I'm not gonna stand by and let this happen!" Trixie continued, ignoring Terry. "Roxanne is my best friend, and Kid has been a damn good friend to me too! I watched him all those years Roxanne was at college, and I saw how miserable he was without her! He may have lost the Chojin Crown, but Kid is much happier now that he's got Roxanne back! Hell, he only lost her in the first place because of you!"

Trixie jabbed a finger through the air at King Muscle, who jerked back in shock, as though he expected her finger to stretch across the room and poke him in the chest.

"What is all this about, anyway?" Trixie sighed, glancing around the others in the room. "Is this still about the fact that Marie dated King Muscle before Belinda did? It's so stupid! You can't throw Kid out of the family and deny him the throne for this!"

"What he's doing is a crime!" King Muscle barked. "He is defying his father and his king!"

"Defying the king of Muscle Planet is the second worst thing a Kinniku could do," Ataru added.

"The second?" Kid asked curiously.

"The first would be to remove your mask, you idiot!" King Muscle snapped.

"Wait a minute, removing his mask is a crime?" Trixie echoed.

"But of course!" King Muscle replied. "If he exposes his face to others, he could never become king!"

"Never become king you say?" Trixie asked, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Never!" King Muscle confirmed.

"And if he can't become king, he's free to marry Roxanne anyway, right?"

King Muscle frowned at Trixie as she slowly nodded her head in thought.

"And Meat would walk free?" she finished.

"Well, technically, yes," King Muscle slowly replied. "But if he wilfully removed his mask, that would show poor teaching from…"

"From Meat?" Trixie asked.

"From his father," Belinda corrected her, eying her husband darkly.

Trixie smiled, turning to Kid. She began winking at him and making hand signals in the air that indicated to him to remove his mask; but Kid appeared not to understand her meaning as he merely screwed up his face and began to pick his nose.

"Patience is a virtue, but I was never virtuous!" Trixie groaned, turning to Terry.

"Trixie, no!" Terry warned. "Please don't do it!"

"Try and stop me!" she drawled, crouching down and swiping something out of Terry's cowboy boot.

Terry tried to grab Trixie as she spun around with her finding, but he missed her, stumbling forwards awkwardly as his arms closed around the empty space she had occupied only moments ago. Something flashed as Trixie raised one hand above her head and grabbed the nose of Kid's mask in the other, pulling it forwards.

"Oh my…" Roxanne muttered, watching on in shock and disbelief as Trixie brought her hand down, slicing off the nose of Kid's mask with a knife she had stolen from Terry's boot.

Before anyone could react further, Trixie dropped the nose of Kid's mask and reached her hand into the hole she had created, tearing the mask open and peeling it off of Kid's head. She turned back to face King Muscle, smiling smugly at him as she held the knife up in one hand and dangled Kid's mask in the other.

At one end of the line-up facing King Muscle, Meat turned away from Kid, cowering his head beneath his arms as he tried to avert his eyes from the true face of the Kinniku prince. Next to Meat, Marie stared with wide, round eyes at Kid, frozen in shock. Next to Marie, Roxanne forgot to breathe until she began to feel light-headed, at which point she began to almost hyperventilate. Next to her, Kid stood as still as a statue, his face twisted and contorted with the mixture of emotions that were racing through his mind. Next to Kid, Trixie was still smiling at King Muscle, proudly holding up the results of her rash actions. Next to Trixie Terry was glancing nervously between Kid and King Muscle, alternating between looks of shock and guilt.

"So now that Kid can't be king anyway, you can't really stop him marrying Roxanne, and you can't blame Meat," Trixie said sweetly.

She held the knife out towards Terry, who leapt back from it, shaking his head violently as he turned to face King Muscle, a huge sweatdrop appearing down the back of his head. Trixie released the knife, unaware that Terry was not prepared to take it back. As it thudded onto the carpeted floor of the hotel room, Trixie looked down at it, and then up at Terry.

"Would you relax?" she drawled, rolling her eyes. "It's no big deal!"

Trixie began to turn towards Kid.

"I mean, it's like I ­– holy crap, Kid Muscle's like totally hot!"

Roxanne's breathing finally regulated as she turned to Trixie, her face twisting in confusion.

"Well he is!" Trixie said defensively. "You should be like so totally glad, Roxanne!"

Roxanne slowly looked up at Kid, who turned to face her, smiling sheepishly as their eyes met, his cheeks reddening in modesty.

"This is terrible!" Meat wailed, trying to keep his eyes covered.

"It's not that bad," Marie tried to assure him, touching a hand to his shoulder.

"No, it's awful!" Meat cried, shrugging Marie's hand off.

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Marie insisted.

"I'm sure it is that bad," Belinda quietly replied, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "Look at this mess. Can you believe this? Can any of you honestly believe this? Look around yourselves! What have we become?"

The others – except Meat, who kept his head covered – all looked around each other, each looking as confused as the other.

"This is ridiculous," Belinda sighed, touching a hand to her forehead. "We were all young and in love once. And I know that Kid's friend didn't just remove his mask out of disrespect for the Kinniku laws. She did it because she cares. There is a very simple solution to this problem."

"There is?" Kid and King Muscle asked in unison.

"Yes, there is," Belinda smoothly replied. "Ataru, get Mantaro a new mask. Mantaro, you mustn't leave this room until your uncle Ataru returns with your new mask. No-one else has to know about any of this."

"That sounds like a good idea," King Muscle began, eying his wife suspiciously. "But there's more, right?"

"Yes, there is," Belinda agreed. "Surely even you, Suguru, can see that if Mantaro loves Roxanne this much, we would be fools to deny him the right to take her as his wife."

Kid turned to Roxanne, grinning in delight. A chunk of his treacle brown hair flopped over one eye, and Roxanne tenderly reached up one hand, brushing it back. She smiled as she watched her fingers furrowing through his hair, only moving her eyes to his as he reached up to take her hand in his.

"Yeah!" Trixie said boldly. "Listen to your wife!"

"And look at them both, Suguru," Marie added. "Anyone can see that they're in love!"

"They make me sick with all their dang sappiness, but I reckon you would have to be crazier than a coyote to try an' keep 'em apart," Terry said.

"All the kid needs is a some more trainin' an' he'll be right as rain!" Meat said, holding up both hands like blinkers by his eyes as he looked across the room at King Muscle. "The main reason he didn't do so good was just because he was worried about Roxanne!"

Kid and Roxanne slowly turned to King Muscle, who looked first at Roxanne, and then his son.

"Hm…" he mumbled thoughtfully.

"Oh give it up, Suguru!" Belinda groaned. "I want my boy back! Forget the past! I know I have!"

Marie and Meat both turned to Belinda, staring at her in shock at her words.

"Let's all start again, shall we?" Belinda asked, smiling at Marie.

"Sounds good to me," Marie agreed.

"Me too!" Meat said.

"Me three."

The others turned to King Muscle, who slowly nodded his head.

"Mantaro, if you want to marry Roxanne, you have my consent – but you must apply yourself to your training! Meat will be working you twice as hard! You will win the next Chojin Crown!"

"Hey, did ya hear that, Kid?" Meat rejoiced, spinning on his heels to look up at Kid Muscle.

Kid turned to face Meat, who paused, frozen in shock, before clapping both hands over his eyes.

"I forgot!" he wailed.

Kid looked up at Marie, and both shook their heads, sweatdropping.

"What, are you serious?" Trixie asked King Muscle, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously. "You're gonna let Kid marry Roxanne?"

"Yes I am," King Muscle confirmed.

Trixie screamed in delight, throwing her arms around Terry and jumping up and down. Terry laughed nervously, patting her on the back as she squealed exuberantly in his ear.

"Guess who the next wedding will be?" Roxanne whispered to Kid.

Kid smiled as Roxanne pointed at Terry. Trixie was kissing into Terry's cheek, as he blushed, tugging at his cowboy hat as he tried to cover his embarrassment.

"You know, I don't know what I would do without my friends," Kid sighed.

"The power of friendship is the greatest thing," Roxanne agreed. "And it looks like we all got our happy endings!"

"Hey you guys!" Trixie said, grinning brightly. "Now that everything's worked out for you two, we can tell you about our good news!"

"Your good news?" Kid asked.

"Yep," Terry sighed, smiling down at Trixie as he dropped an arm across her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side. "I asked Trixie here if she would do me the honour of bein' Mrs Kenyon, an' she done said yes."

"Oh wow, congratulations you guys!" Roxanne squealed. "Wow, we really did all get a happy ending!"

"Well, except for Mars and Kiki," Kid pointed out.

"Oh yeah!" Roxanne agreed. "I totally forgot about them! Gee, Kiki wasn't so good yesterday. I wonder where she went to?"

The others slowly began to frown, all avoiding looking directly at anyone else in the room as they tried to think about what sort of state Kiki would be in after witnessing Mars's crushing defeat at the hands of a ruthless and merciless Kevin Mask.

* * *

Kiki's curious frown quickly melted into an amused smirk as she realised that Mars was not writhing in physical pain in his hospital bed, but rather in mental anguish at the torture he was enduring at the hands of his visitor.

"Hi Jeager!" she said loudly as she approached Mars's bedside.

"Hello Kiki!" he greeted her. "I vas just reading my poetry to Mars!"

"You was just readin' me my death rights, you little–" Mars began.

"Don't you have someplace else to be, Jaeger?" Kiki interrupted him.

Jaeger touched a finger to his mouth thoughtfully, before a huge grin broke out across his face.

"Ja, I vas going to see ze nurse!" Jaeger said, snapping shut his book of poetry.

"You was what?" Mars asked, frowning up at him.

"I vas going to see ze nurse," Jaeger repeated, standing up from his seat at Mars's bedside. "I asked him if he vould keep Kevin Mask's bedpan for me."

Mars screwed up his face in a combination of disgust and confusion.

"You did what?" Kiki yelped.

"Vell, you see," Jaeger began. "Kevin Mask svallowed ze Skull of Mystery yesterday, und so–"

"Stop right dere!" Mars yelled, holding up one hand to silence Jaeger. "I don't need to know no more!"

"But–"

"No! No more! Just go!"

"Alright."

Jaeger happily left Mars's bedside, wandering towards the nurse's station to fulfil his mission.

"Does he know Kevin Mask didn't come into hospital last night?" Kiki whispered as she sat down on the edge of Mars's bed.

"He didn't come in?" Mars echoed in disbelief. "Ah, great! Not only did da squealer beat me, but now he don't even need medical attention after our fight?"

"He does need medical attention, he just ran away before anyone could give him any," Kiki explained. "No-one's seen or heard from him since the end of your match."

"He'll be back soon."

"How do you know?"

"We gotta go to a McMadd press conference later today. He won't wanna miss it. He'll want to rub it in my face dat I lost."

"Oh Mars, I'm so sorry that you lost. But don't worry about it! It's no big deal that you didn't make it into the Muscle League! There are plenty of other things you can do, and I can help you do them!"

Mars looked at Kiki in alarm, but she appeared to be perfectly calm and content with her statement.

"Uh, sweetheart, it ain't dat easy," he began awkwardly.

"Of course it is!" Kiki insisted, grinning brightly. "Just think, now that you're not tied down by the IWF, we're free to travel the world together!"

"Um…"

"I've always wanted to go to Europe!"

"Uh…"

"I just think Switzerland is such a beautiful country!"

"Excuse me?"

"Huh?"

Kiki turned around to see a woman in a white coat smiling tightly down at her, one arm curled around a clipboard and a pen in her other hand.

"Excuse me, I just need to run some checks on Mars, would you mind leaving the ward for just five minutes?" she asked Kiki.

"Well, okay…" Kiki slowly answered, glancing between the doctor and Mars as she stood up. "I'll just be outside that door," she said to Mars, pointing at the doors at the end of the ward.

"Okay, sweetheart," Mars agreed, nodding his head.

Kiki eyed the doctor over suspiciously before casting Mars one last smile and walking out of the ward. As she reached the doorway, Kiki turned her head to look back over her shoulder as the doctor pulled the curtains shut around Mars's bed, hiding him from view. Kiki sighed, turning her head back to face forwards, only to yelp in shock as she clattered into someone walking hurriedly towards her.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Kiki gasped as the woman staggered in the spot, struggling to balance the large black sack she had cradled in her arms.

"I'm fine," she nervously replied, her eyes fixed on the clanking bundle in her arms. "How about you?"

The woman looked up from her bag, looking directly at Kiki for the first time. Kiki suppressed a shiver as the woman's face slowly twisted through a series of emotions, before settling into a smirk as she eyed Kiki over.

"You're the one that's dating Mars, aren't you?" she asked, lowering her sack to the ground.

"Yeah, that's right…" Kiki slowly replied. "Who are you?"

"Oh, it's not important who I am," the woman replied, waving a hand in the air dismissively. "But I'm really glad that I bumped into you. Obviously I didn't mean to actually physically bump into you, but I was kinda hoping that we would meet here today. I wanted to ask a favour from you, if I may."

Kiki narrowed her eyes as the woman opened the drawstring top of the sack and thrust one hand into its depths. She looked up at Kiki as she began to pull something from inside the sack, grinning as their eyes met.

"I wanted to give this back to Mars," she explained. "Only I don't really fancy the idea of seeing him right now. Or ever, for that matter…"

"The Mask of Madness!" Kiki gasped, her eyes widening as the woman dangled Mars's prized headdress between them.

Kiki slowly took a hold of it in one hand, moving her eyes to the woman holding it. As the woman released the headdress, the weight of it dragging Kiki's hand down, Kiki moved her eyes to one distinct feature on the woman's face that she had failed to notice before that moment. Over one eyebrow, her nose and part of her cheek, she bore two old scars, similar in appearance to the scars that ran down from Mars's eyes.

"Hey, I know you!" Kiki said, pointing at her with her free hand. "You're that one who was screaming stuff at Kevin Mask yesterday! You caught Mars's headdress," Kiki held up the headdress for effect, "and you caught Kevin's mask!"

"You got me!" the woman replied, holding up the sack. "Speaking of Kevin Mask, I don't suppose you know where I can find him, do you?"

"He went to stay at some hotel," Kiki said.

"Yeah, I just came from his hotel. He checked himself out this morning. I guess I'll catch him at the press conference later today."

"You know Kevin?"

The woman looked to one side, her face going blank for a moment.

"Do you know Mars?" Kiki added.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that I know them both," she slowly replied, moving her eyes back to Kiki. "But I haven't spoken to either of them for years now."

"Years?" Kiki echoed.

"It's not important," the woman insisted, waving a hand at Kiki as she hoisted the sack over one shoulder, Kevin's mask clanking around inside it. "I'm off to see if I can find Kevin. Good luck with everything."

"Good luck?"

"I think you're gonna need it. Things don't look too good for old scarface."

"But…" Kiki reached a hand out as the woman turned her back on Kiki and began to walk away, her long legs striding quickly enough to take her out of Kiki's sight in a matter of seconds. "But what do you mean?" Kiki asked softly, her hand dropping to her side.

Kiki slowly stepped back, looking back down into the ward as the doctor drew back the curtains from Mars's bed. Mars was standing up, looking almost fully healed from his match the day before. The doctor said something to him, before walking towards Kiki. Kiki watched the doctor pass her before hurrying back into the ward.

"Mars?" she said as she neared Mars.

"Hey sweetheart, I got da all clear, I'm free to go!" he replied, opening out his arms.

"Wow, that's great!" Kiki gushed, throwing her arms around his waist and pressing herself against him.

Mars began to return her embrace, only to groan and push her back from himself.

"What's wrong?" Kiki quickly asked, looking up at him in concern.

"I don't know, and I don't think I wanna know neither," Mars grumbled.

"Huh?" Kiki echoed, turning around to look in the direction Mars appeared to be looking.

Jaeger was running towards them, waving his hands about above his head.

"It's awful!" he wailed as he neared them. "It's terrible! Vhat vill I do? Vhat vill I tell my fazher?"

"What are you talkin' about, kid?" Mars asked him, trying to control his patience.

"It's gone!" Jaeger yelled, skidding to a halt in front of Mars and Kiki.

"What's gone, Jaeger?" Kiki asked him.

"Ze Skull of Mystery!" Jaeger replied.

"Didn't you just say you was gonna go get it back?" Mars asked.

"I vas!" Jaeger replied.

"So what went wrong?" Kiki asked.

"Kevin isn't here! He vent to a hotel last night! Ze Skull of Mystery is lost forever!"

"No it ain't!" Mars began. "I'm sure if you went into a sewer someplace you could find it–"

"Mars!" Kiki snapped.

"Oh, vhat am I going to do?" Jaeger wailed, dropping to his knees. "I have lost ze power of ze Red Rain of Pain!"

Kiki looked up at Mars, biting her lip nervously. Mars shrugged his shoulders indifferently, and both turned back to Jaeger, who had buried his face in his hands.

"I hate Kevin Mask!" he muttered.

"We all do, kid," Mars assured him.

"Damn right we do!" Kiki agreed. "I hope he never comes back from wherever it is that he went to!"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Dik Dik has an announcement to make, after the post-final press conference turns disastrous, Roxanne has a special request to make of IWF Chairman Ikeman McMadd, and everyone wants to know where Kevin Mask is, and, perhaps more importantly, just what has happened to Mars? **Chapter 34 – None of the Above**.


	36. None of the Above

**A/N:** And, as promised, my updates are now coming in thick and fast! 

**Recap: **After Trixie demasked Kid Muscle, King Muscle eventually agreed to Kid and Roxanne's marriage, Terry and Trixie announced that they too were engaged, Mars was given the all clear from hospital, Kiki bumped into an unusual woman who returned Mars's headdress and the Mask of Madness, Jaeger failed to retrieve the Skull of Mystery and nobody knew the whereabouts of Kevin Mask.

* * *

**Chapter 34 – None of the Above**

"Oh look, it's Kid Muscle, Terry Kenyon, Roxanne and Trixie!" Wally's mother squealed, waving a hand at the group heading towards them.

"They look happy," Wally said.

"Things do seem to be falling into place for everyone," Dik Dik replied knowledgeably.

"Hey, you guys!" Kid greeted them. "Guess what? Roxanne and I are getting married!"

The group all began to cheer, but Dorothy cried out, covering her face with her hands and running off in the direction of the girls' toilets.

"What's up with her?" Kid asked, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

"Methinks she was smitten with thee, Kid Muscle," Checkmate replied.

"Could you maybe say that again?" Kid asked, frowning up at Checkmate. "And maybe this time, you could like, I dunno, say it in English?"

"Which part didn't you get, Kid?" Dik Dik asked.

"Well, he had me right up until the word "me"," Kid replied.

Dik Dik rolled his eyes, shaking his head in despair.

"Checkmate said my little sister has a crush on you, Kid!" Wally explained.

"What?" Kid yelped. "But… But… We're not even the same species!"

"What's goin' on over here?" Meat interrupted them as he joined the group.

"Did you hear the good news?" Marie asked Dik Dik.

"Yes," Dik Dik replied. "Congratulations, Kid, but I've got some news of my own!"

"You have?" Roxanne echoed.

"Yeah!" Dik Dik cheerfully replied. "My wife and I have been talking, and we've decided to stay together!"

"Wow, things really are too sweet for us right now!" Trixie gasped.

"There's more?" Wally asked.

"Well, yeah," Terry replied bashfully. "Trixie and I are gettin' married too!"

"Oh, how sweet!" Wally's mother said. "It looks like everyone got a happy ending except my poor Dorothy!"

"Aw, poor Dorothy!" Roxanne sighed.

"Sh!" Kid hissed, elbowing her in the ribs.

"I got an announcement to make too, guys!" Meat added.

"Oh yeah?" Terry asked.

"Yesh," Meat replied with a nod of his head. "I've decided that since the kid will be movin' outta the hut to be with his new wife, I don't really need to stay there no more. So I'm gonna help Marie look after the orphanage."

"You're boning Roxanne's mum?" Kid yelped.

"Kid!" Roxanne, Terry and Trixie yelled.

Kid shrank down low, glancing meekly around the others as they glowered down at him furiously.

"That boy gets more like his father everyday…" Marie muttered.

"Hey, you guys! Haven't we all forgotten about someone?" Trixie said, looking around the others.

"Of course!" Terry said, smacking a hand off his forehead. "We forgot about Jaeger! He was gonna go get himself Kevin Mask's–"

"Kiki!" Roxanne blurted. "Where did Kiki get to?"

"The last I heard, she went to the hospital to see Mars," Trixie replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I hope she's okay!"

"I done forgot all about li'l Kiki…" Terry sighed. "But I ain't seen Jaeger, neither! He was gonna go get himself some of Kevin Mask's–"

"We heard you the first time," Dik Dik said hurriedly, holding up a hand in front of Terry's face to silence him.

"And besides, Jaeger can look after himself," Roxanne pointed out. "Kiki's in a fragile state of mind since Mars lost to Kevin Mask."

"And no doubt she's even worse now that she knows she's about to lose Mars all over again," Dik Dik added.

"What do you mean?" Roxanne asked.

"Under the laws of the Hercules Factory, if the IWF can't find a use for Mars here on Earth, he has to return to the Hercules Factory to be relocated to a planet where he is needed," Dik Dik explained.

"Oh, not again!" Trixie groaned.

"Kid Muscle!"

The gang turned to see Jacqueline McMadd marching towards them, looking tired and irate.

"Good God, why is she still wearing that same outfit?" Trixie growled under her breath.

"Kid Muscle," Jacqueline repeated, marching straight towards Kid. "I'm going to need your help. The press are already in there, and we're ready to get this thing started. The only problem is, I can't find Kevin Mask. He refused medical treatment after his match yesterday, and went back to his hotel. We told him we would send a nurse to check on him this morning, but when the nurse got there, Kevin had already checked himself out of the hotel. I went down there to check it out for myself, and all I managed to find was this, lying outside the door of Kevin's hotel room."

Jacqueline held up Kevin's mask, quirking an eyebrow at Kid.

"Sister!" Ikeman wailed, racing towards them. "Oh sister, look what I found!"

Ikeman staggered to a halt by Jacqueline's side, holding up the Chojin Crown Championship Belt, which had a brown banana skin stuck to the metal plat on the front and a tomato sauce stain on one of the leather straps.

"I found it in a trash can!" Ikeman added, jiggling the belt around in the air in front of Jacqueline's face.

Jacqueline groaned leaning away from the filthy trophy and rolled her eyes in despair.

"I don't have time for this right now! How are we meant to have a press conference about the Chojin Crown without the champion himself?" she snapped.

"I got more bad news for you, guys," Kiki said weakly as she joined the group. "Mars has gone too."

"What?' Jacqueline barked.

Kiki slowly looked up at Jacqueline, tears forming in her eyes as she held up a folded piece of paper in one hand.

"I went to get a taxi to take us both here, and when I went back into the hospital to tell Mars the taxi had arrived, he was gone!" she whimpered. "All that he left was this."

Jacqueline snatched the piece of paper from Kiki's hand, opening it out, her face creasing in disgust as her eyes scanned over it.

"Sorry I had to go sweetheart," she read aloud. "I hope you understand. I'm not ready to leave Earth yet, there's some unfinished business I have to take care of. I'll miss you, Mars."

Jacqueline ripped the note into shreds, throwing them over Kiki.

"Ugh, sometimes I really hate this job!" she snarled, before stomping off.

Ikeman glanced down at Kiki as she dropped to her knees and tried to recover the remains of her note from Mars, before hurrying after his younger sister, the Chojin Crown Championship Belt clanking at his side as he ran.

"Oh Kiki, I'm so sorry," Roxanne whispered, kneeling down in front of Kiki. "None of us wanted to Kevin Mask to win yesterday! He's such a total bastard!"

"I'm never going to see him again!" Kiki sobbed. "And I'd only just got him back! It's so unfair!"

Kiki opened out her fist, looking down at the torn paper in her hands, a single tear dropping from her eye and blotting the ink on one piece.

"So much for my happy ending!" she cried, throwing away the shards of paper. "I hate Kevin Mask so much, I hope he dies!"

"Me too!" Kid agreed, balling a fist in the air in support for Kiki's plight. "I hope Kevin Mask dies, the son of a – Robin Mask!"

Roxanne looked up sharply as a shadow fell over Kiki. Robin Mask looked back down at her, before looking around each of the others in turn.

"Hash anyone sheen Kevin?" he asked them all.

Wally, Dik Dik, Terry and Kid all nervously shook their heads in the negative.

"Doesh anyone know where he might be?" Robin asked.

Again, everyone shook their heads.

"I don't know where he is, but I someone who does," Kiki said quietly.

"You do?" Roxanne asked, frowning at her in surprise.

"Yeah, I do," Kiki replied, pushing herself up to her feet.

She sighed, smoothing her hair back from her face before turning to face Robin Mask.

"The girl with the scars on her face knows where he is, Sir Mask," she told him.

"Who?" Roxanne asked.

"I don't know who she is," Kiki continued. "But she said she knows Kevin and Mars. She gave me Mars's headdress back, and she had Kevin's mask. She said she was going to give it back to him herself. When I gave Mars back his headdress, he asked me if I got it from the girl with the scars on her face, and I told him that I did. I asked him who she was, but all he said was that her name was Julie and that she was a waitress at High Park Ladies' Club a few years ago. If anyone knows where Kevin is, it's her."

"What about that freaky android?" Trixie asked bluntly. "Doesn't he know where Kevin is? I mean, he just spent the last few weeks following Kevin around all over the place, shouldn't he know where Kevin's got to?"

"You mean Warshman?" Robin asked. "I already ashked him, he hash looked everywhere, and he can't find Kevin either."

"Who cares where he is, anyway?" Roxanne sighed. "And besides, the press conference is about to start, let's just go in for now."

"How the hell can they have a press conference?" Trixie asked. "They don't even have anyone to interview!"

"I guess we'll find out," Roxanne replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

The gang all began filtering into the room set up for the press conference, leaving only Robin Mask and Kiki standing out in the corridor.

"Julie?" Robin asked Kiki.

"That's what Mars said," she replied.

"Hm…"

"Do you know her, Sir Mask?" Kiki asked.

"I think sho…" Robin replied thoughtfully. "When my wife died, I hired a nanny to look after my boysh when I had to leave the Mashk Eshtate, and her name wash Julie. Kevin alwaysh had a bit of a crush on her, but I thought it wash jusht a childhood thing."

Kiki's face slowly dropped.

"That's just too much information," she muttered. "Kevin Mask likes mother figures… Ugh!"

Kiki shuddered, turning her back on Robin and following after the others. Kiki took a seat next to Wally's mother, who put an arm around her, squeezing her tighter than was necessary.

"You poor darling!" she whispered. "But you know, my little blubber-boo is still single!"

Kiki curled her lip in disgust as Wally's mother pulled her forwards to bring Wally into her range of sight.

"Oh look, here comes the chairman of the IWF!" Kiki said hurriedly, pointing at the stage at the top of the room.

Wally's mother obligingly released Kiki and sat to attention as Ikeman McMadd crept across the stage, stopping behind the middle chair in the line of chairs placed behind the long table on the stage, facing the audience. A few camera flashbulbs winked at Ikeman as he grinned nervously out at the group in attendance.

"Gadies and lentlemen," he began feebly. "I mean, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the IWF post-final Chojin Crown press conference!"

"Where's the champ?" one journalist yelled at him.

"Yeah, there's a rumour going round that he's disappeared!" another journalist called out.

Ikeman forced out laughter, pretending to be amused by the journalists' remarks.

"Disappeared?" he choked out. "What a ridiculous… Kevin Mask, disappear? Oh dear!"

"Then where is he?" a third journalist called out.

"He's on his way here as we speak!" Ikeman smoothly lied.

"How long will he be?" another voice asked.

"Not long, he's just waiting backstage for his cue," Ikeman replied. "But before I bring out Kevin or Mars, I thought that first of all, you might all like to hear a little bit about how this tournament came about in the first place."

"Not really," a voice called.

"I, Ikeman McMadd," Ikeman continued regardless. "Came up with the idea of a new Chojin Crown tournament, the Ikeman Chojin Crown, one day whilst I was entertaining two beautiful women."

"What?" Trixie hissed, glancing at Kiki. "Is he talking about when we waxed his eyebrows at the salon?"

"I said to myself, "Ikeman, what do today's young and hip wrestling fans want to see from the IWF?"," Ikeman said.

"We want to see Kevin Mask and Mars!" an irate journalist yelled.

"And we wanna see 'em now!" another added.

"Ikeman!" Jacqueline squealed, sprinting out onto the stage. "Quick, we have to cancel the press conference!"

"What?" Ikeman roared. "No way! You've hogged the spotlight long enough, sister!"

Ikeman began shoving Jacqueline back, but she fought back against him.

"Kevin Mask was sighted riding out of town on his bike without his mask," she explained, causing the audience to gasp in awe. "And he was last seen heading in the direction of the old DMP headquarters."

Ikeman screamed in shock and at the mention of the DMP, releasing his sister instantly.

"Methinks this brings ill tidings," Checkmate whispered to the others.

"What does that mean?" Kid asked Dik Dik.

"He means this is bad news," Dik Dik patiently replied.

"There be only one thing at the old DMP headquarters that Kevin Mask would want," Checkmate added, standing up from his seat.

"Mars?" Dik Dik asked, standing up.

"No," Checkmate replied, shaking his head solemnly. "Methinks he hath returned to settle an old score with The Anarchists."

"With who?" Terry asked, standing up.

"Just tell me this isn't a DMP thing," Kid began, standing up. "Someone please tell me that the DMP are all gone."

"Sorry Kid Muscle," Checkmate replied. "The DMP are not all gone."

"But who's left?" Wally asked, standing up. "I thought Mars said they were all dead after Sunshine blew the place up!"

"Not all the Devil Chojins of the DMP perished in the blast," Checkmate explained. "Mars survived, and a group of youths known as The Anarchists escaped before Master Sunshine's surprise."

"So what are you saying?" Kid asked.

"Kevin Mask has gone back to the DMP to join The Anarchists?" Dik Dik asked.

"Or has he gone to take 'em all on single-handedly?" Terry suggested. "I reckon Kevin Mask done thinks he's invincible after all that rigorous trainin' an' now winnin' the Chojin Crown!"

"This is insane!" Roxanne declared, standing abruptly. "I've had enough of this!"

Roxanne pushed her way along the row and started towards the stage, where Ikeman and Jacqueline were still arguing between themselves about Kevin Mask and the future of the ongoing press conference.

"Roxanne, what are you doing?" Trixie yelled after her.

"I'm going to sort this whole mess out once and for all!" Roxanne yelled back, before continuing on her way.

Roxanne boldly marched right up to the stage, climbing the small set of steps at one side of the stage and marching along towards Jacqueline's back. As she reached the feuding siblings in the centre of the stage, Roxanne grabbed Jacqueline by her hair and yanked her back, shoving her over the table to confront Ikeman herself. Ikeman stared at his fallen sister with wide eyes, before turning to Roxanne with a yelp of fear.

"This mess is all your fault, Ikeman McMadd!" she scolded him. "You and that stupid announcement you made during Kevin and Mars's match! And all because you had to be the centre of attention!"

"What are you talking about?" Ikeman snapped, trying his best to look and sound brave as his younger sister began to get to her feet once more.

"I'm talking about your little "there can be only one" clause!" Roxanne spat. "I want you to take it back! You have to let Mars into the IWF! Only an idiot would let him go!"

Ikeman opened his mouth to reply, but a series of flashes of cameras from the audience stopped him. Slowly, a devious and malicious grin crept onto his features.

"Why, I would just love to let Mars into the IWF, Rude Girl!" Ikeman said, ensuring his voice was loud enough to be heard by all. "But I'm afraid that decision is not mine to make!"

"What are you talking about, you bumbling buffoon?" Roxanne snapped irritably. "How can it not be your decision to make? You are the chairman, aren't you?"

"Well, yes, I am the chairman, but in order to let another Chojin join the ranks of the IWF, to let another Chojin stand as a member of the Muscle League here on Earth, I would need to first get permission from the leader of the Muscle League himself before I could do such a thing."

"That's me!" Dik Dik said proudly, holding up one hand.

"Vhat are you talking about?" Jaeger snapped, standing up from another part of the audience, the others noticing him for the first time. "I was ze leader of Generation Ex, I vas ze top of my class, my scores beat all of yours, and now I am ze new leader of ze Muscle League!"

"I beat you in the Generation Ex Tournament, Jaeger!" Dik Dik argued back.

"And I beat the guy who beat you, Dik Dik," Kid pointed out. "I won the Generation Ex Tournament, I beat Dial Bolic and Pumpinator, I beat Checkmate, I won the Ultimate Muscle Challenge, and I made it to the semi-finals of the Chojin Crown. If anyone is the leader of the Muscle League, it's gotta be me!"

"And the answer is: none of the above!" Ikeman sang.

"What?" Roxanne yelped.

"Kid Muscle was the leader of the Muscle League, but not any more," Ikeman sighed. "He lost that right when Mars defeated him in the semi-finals of the Chojin Crown!"

"So what are you trying to say, that Mars is the new leader of the Muscle League now?" Roxanne asked.

"No, you idiot, the Chojin Crown Champion Kevin Mask is the new leader of the Muscle League!" Jacqueline snarled, grabbing a handful of Roxanne's hair. "And unless Kevin says that Mars can join the Muscle League, it won't be happening. Mars will be sent back to the Hercules Factory, and he'll be reassigned to a new mission on another planet!"

"Let her go!" Trixie shouted, racing up the steps to the stage.

"Gladly," Jacqueline growled, shoving Roxanne towards Trixie as she reached the top of the steps.

Roxanne staggered into Trixie, the force of their collision causing Trixie to fall back down the steps to the floor below, and Roxanne to stagger ungracefully into the handrail.

"Now unless anyone else has any more stupid questions, this press conference is officially over!" Jacqueline barked, her green eyes flashing at the audience.

A single camera flashed, but otherwise no-one spoke, and no-one moved. A proud smirk worked its way onto Jacqueline's face as her eyebrows lowered shrewdly, casting a shadow over her eyes that only served to make them glow even brighter than before.

"Until our next tournament, fight fans, I bid you adieu," she said sweetly, before spinning on her heel and marching across the stage.

"Bitch," Roxanne growled at her as she strutted past the staircase where Roxanne stood.

"This sucks!" Trixie groaned, grabbing the handrail and pulling herself to her feet. "What are we meant to do now?"

"Well, this could just be stating the obvious, but…" Roxanne began, grabbing Trixie's other hand and helping her up the steps.

"We have to find Kevin Mask," Trixie finished as they met on the top step.

"But where is he?" Roxanne mused.

"Well, you heard what Checkmate said," Trixie sighed. "He said that Kevin Mask has gone back to the DMP headquarters to fight some group of wrestlers called "The Archaists", or something."

"The Anarchists," Roxanne corrected her.

"Whatever."

Roxanne slowly made her way down the steps, picking her way through the paparazzi and fans alike as they began to leave the room. Seeing the thoughtful expression on her friend's face, Trixie hurried after Roxanne, catching her as she rejoined the others at their seats by the back of the hall.

"What are you scheming?" Trixie asked her.

"I reckon we gotta go down to the DMP headquarters, y'all!" Terry suggested.

"Does anyone actually know where the DMP headquarters are?" Dik Dik asked dryly. "I mean, we've all seen plenty of footage of the mountain with the fist in it, but does anyone actually know how to get there?"

The group all slowly turned to Checkmate, who started in alarm as he looked around their faces.

"But 'tis far too dangerous to venture forth to the DMP headquarters!" he protested. "The headquarters are based on an active volcano!"

"So what do you suggest we do?" Roxanne asked, folding her arms. "Sit around here and wait for Kevin Mask to work out his issues and find his way back here?"

"What if he never comes back?" Trixie added. "He totally trashed the championship belt! Obviously he doesn't really want to be the Chojin Crown Champion!"

"Then why did he beat Mars?" Kiki yelled. "Why didn't he let Mars win?"

"Good question," Trixie plainly replied.

"But to find an answer to that question, and an answer to all of our other questions…" Roxanne began.

"We have to find Kevin Mask," Kid finished.

"Let's go undercover!" Terry suggested. "It'll be fun!"

"Can I come too?" Jaeger asked, joining the group. "I need to get ze Skull of Mystery back."

Kiki rolled her eyes, shaking her head in despair.

"It's decided then!" Terry said, smacking a fist into his open palm. "Let's go find ourselves one Kevin Mask!"

"Hold it right there!" Meat yelled, leaping into Terry's path as he tried to leave. "You ain't goin' nowhere! Any of you!"

"Huh?" Kid echoed, peering over Terry's shoulder at his manager.

"It's too dangerous!" Meat argued. "Ever since Sunshine let off those explosives, that place has become a total death-trap! I ain't lettin' nobody go nowhere near that place, ya hear?"

"I guess it is plan B then," Roxanne muttered.

"What's plan B?" Terry asked her.

"We sit here and wait for Kevin Mask to stop being such a total asshole, and get back here and start facing up to his problems like a real man!" Roxanne sternly replied.

"And how long d'you reckon that's gonna take?" Terry asked anyone who cared to listen.

"Kevin Mask sure does have a lot of issues to work out," Kid pointed out. "He might never come back."

"I really, really hate Kevin Mask!" Kiki groaned, dropping back down into her seat.

"Look on the bright side, Kiki!" Roxanne said, touching a hand to her friend's shoulder. "He might fall into the volcano and die!"

"That would just be too good to be true," Kiki grumbled.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Kevin Mask finds himself in a very difficult situation, and Mars has a very difficult decision to make. **Chapter 35 – Nice Guys Finish Last**.

**A/N(2):** That was a bit of a crap chapter, nothing much happened and it wasn't very long. Expect another update very, very soon!


	37. Nice Guys Finish Last

**A/N:** Again, as promised, another speedy update. Another short one, but a bit more action this time. 

**Recap:** Kid Muscle and Roxanne got their happy ending, Terry and Trixie got theirs, and Dik Dik got his, but Kiki was left miserable when Mars ran away, and the McMadds were angered when their press conference was ruined by the absence of both Mars and Kevin Mask.

* * *

**Chapter 35 – Nice Guys Finish Last**

Kevin Mask raised his chin, smiling to himself as the wind caught his hair, whipping it back off his face. After wearing an iron mask for most of his waking hours every day of his life, it was quite liberating to feel the wind on his face, and against his scalp as it billowed through his hair. A part of him was vaguely aware of the fact that he really should not be riding his bike without a helmet; he had never needed one before, thanks to his iron mask. But Kevin was feeling quite reckless, and the thought of doing something bad and potentially life-threatening rather pleased his mood at that precise moment in time.

And so Kevin continued to wear a smile as he cruised along the highway, heading towards the setting sun, feeling almost like a movie star. Alone at last, away from his family, away from the DMP, away from the Muscle League, away from the IWF and even away from Lord Flash, Kevin finally had what he had always wanted.

Kevin's smile began to fade.

He had what he had always wanted. He had proved himself to be the best of the new generation of Chojin wrestlers, he had perfected the one move his father never could, he had proved that he was better than Mars, he had rid himself of anyone even remotely resembling a friend, including the lying Warsman in his guise of Lord Flash, and, to top it all off, Kevin had been awarded sole possession of the Mask Family Estate. Kevin could now live content in the knowledge that everyone knew that he was the best Chojin Warrior ever to live, the undisputed champion of champions. Kevin could now live in the enormous, sprawling estate that had been gifted to him entirely alone, with nobody else around to pester him. Kevin finally had a level of solitude that he could only ever dream about before winning the Chojin Crown.

Kevin had everything he had ever wanted out of life; and yet he felt more miserable than he ever had.

Kevin rounded a corner in the road, groaning as the change in direction meant that the wind blew his hair over one side of his face. As he lifted one hand from the handlebars of his bike to claw back his hair, Kevin became suddenly aware of just how long his hair had become. The more thought Kevin gave to the matter, the more it angered him. As hard as he tried, Kevin could not remember the last time he had had his hair cut.

Kevin smacked his hand back down onto the handlebar, growling to himself as he forced his bike on faster. What did it matter about the length of his hair? He was a Chojin warrior, a Chojin Crown Champion, the reigning Chojin Crown Champion, what did a few split ends matter to him? He was a free man at last. Finally he had overcome the tyranny of his father, and finally he was totally and utterly alone.

Kevin's face dropped as a sudden, clear and unmistakeable image appeared in his mind's eye. Although he was entirely unable to wipe the image from his mind, Kevin failed to see the relevance it bore to how he felt right then. But, as hard as he tried not to think about her, and as hard as he tried to escape the connection, Kevin could not shake the image of Amy MacLeod from his mind, as she leapt into the air, cheering his victory over Mars. After spending the entire match insulting him and distracting him, she had actually looked pleased that he was the victor.

Had she deliberately shouted at him like that because she knew that it would motivate him to win? Or had she just done it because she still hated him, and she merely cheered his victory because she hated Mars even more?

Kevin sighed, finally managing to wipe any thoughts of Amy from his mind. Unfortunately, in doing so, Kevin found himself presented with an image of Lord Flash. And, Kevin thought to himself, what a complete joke that had turned out to be. Lord Flash, the one friend Kevin had ever truly managed to trust in, turned out to be the robot his father had programmed to train him, using the same ridiculously torturous methods Robin Mask himself had used on Kevin as a boy.

Not that Kevin cared so much about losing a friend. That was no big deal at all. Friends came and went, they all meant nothing to Kevin anyway. All that nonsense the Muscle Leaguers were always spouting about the "power of friendship" was nothing, in Kevin's mind at least, more than simply that: nonsense. Kevin had never needed friends before, and he certainly did not need any now.

With that thought in mind, Kevin's nonchalant smirk reappeared, and he turned another corner, once more riding into the wind, raising his chin again to allow the wind to blast all traces of his overly long hair from his face. Kevin began to relax again as all negative thoughts slowly drained from his mind; but again, his joy was short-lived.

Kevin grabbed onto the brakes, his head jerking forwards as his bike began screaming to a halt, leaving a black skid mark on the road behind him as a layer of rubber tore from the tyres and attached itself to the surface of the road.

"What the devil…?" he muttered, looking up with a frown.

Kevin had not been anywhere near the DMP headquarters since the day he had left them with Amy in tow. After leaving her at the nearest hospital, Kevin had caught up with Pumpinator and Dial Bolic, and the rest was history. Although Kevin had heard that Sunshine had blown up the old Devil Chojin hideout, Kevin had never expected the mess it had left to look anything like it did.

Kevin slowly pushed his heel down, lowering the kickstand of his bike as he turned the ignition off. As the purr of the engine faded away beneath him, Kevin slowly stepped off of his bike, his eyes still fixed on the hill stretching up into the sky above him.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" he muttered to himself.

As Kevin began to walk away from his bike, a particularly strong gust of wind whipped at him, pulling his long coat wide open and out from his back. Clenching his fists defiantly, Kevin marched onwards into the wind. Within himself, Kevin was no longer entirely sure of just what he was doing. After seeing Amy's face on the television that morning in his hotel room, an idea had occurred to him, one that had seemed flawless at the time; but the long journey from his hotel to the old DMP hideout had given Kevin enough time to fully contemplate the repercussions of his intended actions, and he was beginning to have second thoughts on the matter.

Kevin thumped one foot down onto the base of the hill, stopping short. He slowly lifted his foot back up, frowning down at it as he turned it over to inspect the sole of his boot. Kevin swiped one finger alone the metal trim of the sole, lifting his finger up to his face. Rubbing his thumb and forefinger together, Kevin began to frown as his suspicions were confirmed; the hill was coated with a thick layer of black ash.

Kevin slowly lowered his foot back into the imprint it had left in the soft carpet of ash, squinting up at the summit. The sun was quite low in the sky, and the darkness of nightfall was making visibility poorer; but the darkness of nightfall also revealed a faint orange glow near a familiar location by the top part of the incline.

"Found you, you little bastard…" Kevin muttered.

Kevin boldly began to climb up the side of the hill, his thoughts mainly concerned with the amount of ash he was encountering as he ascended the slope. Although the volcano had always lain dormant, presumably the explosion Sunshine had caused had been enough to aggravate the delicate balance that had prevented the volcano from erupting before. Whether or not that meant that the volcano had been made active once more and was unstable was undecided, but clearly there had been an eruption in recent times.

As Kevin walked higher and higher, the ground beneath his feet began to feel less and less stable. The ash seemed to be getting softer and was almost slippery. There were far more cracks and crevices and lumps and bumps on the face of the mountain than there had been during Kevin's time as a Devil Chojin for the DMP. He very quickly went from occasionally tripping over a lump beneath the surface or falling into a small hole concealed beneath the ash to stumbling with every step he took. About halfway up the hillside, Kevin began to realise that the path he was taking was no longer safe; but as it was the most direct route to the orange glow above him, be stubbornly continued along it.

Once again, Kevin's mind was suddenly consumed with a face he would rather have forgotten about. It was a face that had caused him many sleepless nights, but it was a face he could never truly banish from his mind. It was a face he had rarely seen in his lifetime; the last time being when the boy had removed his mask to kiss Mars inside the DMP headquarters on the day of Kevin's graduation from The Academy. But that had been over four years ago, and Kevin's younger brother Edward had been but fifteen years old then. At the age of nearly twenty years old, Edward would be a grown man by now, Kevin thought to himself.

But imagining Edward as a grown man was quite a hard thing for Kevin to do. Eight years was quite a large age gap between brothers, and it had been enough of a shock for Kevin when he had first been reunited with Edward in the DMP so see him as a teenager after last seeing him as a child of just eight years old. Edward had always been shorter in height than Kevin, and slighter in build; the fifteen year old Edward was shorter and skinnier than Kevin had been himself at that age. But that was not to say that Edward may have taken a growth spurt, or begun to apply himself to his training more rigorously, building himself up to be comparable in size to his older brother.

Kevin briefly wondered just what had become of Edward since he had left him behind at the DMP hideout. Kevin had spent many years believing his baby brother to be dead, following Mars's story of the demise of the old Devil Chojin headquarters. Mars had, during the Generation Ex Tournament, referred to himself as the sole survivor of the blast, and so Kevin had no cause to believe Edward to be anything other than gone from his life forever more.

It was only when Mars had returned for the Chojin Crown Tournament and told the story of how he had confronted the remaining members of the DMP to denounce his membership that Kevin discovered that Edward Mask was in fact still alive and well; only Edward would have done something as bitchy as cutting off Mars's precious hair as punishment for his decision to leave the DMP, and only Edward, with his strong affections for Mars, would have allowed him to live for what was otherwise a crime normally carrying a death sentence. And worryingly, according to Mars, Edward had recruited a few more radicals to join his little band of friends known as "The Anarchists".

Kevin still resented and detested his brother in many ways and for many reasons, but the memory of his mother, in her dying moments, as she begged him to take good care of Edward, left Kevin feeling duty-bound to retain at least some degree of concern for his brother's well-being at all times.

Nonetheless, Kevin was still concerned by the fact that Edward had been so quiet. Other than his vicious and co-ordinated attack on Mars three years ago when Mars had returned to confront The Anarchists, Edward had done nothing controversial. Edward had never been an honourable, dignified or strong person, but he had always been a bitter and vengeful man, in search of power at all costs. It still amazed Kevin that the remaining six Devil Chojins had never tried an attack on the Muscle League. Surely the Chojin Crown Tournament had been an ideal opportunity to make their presence felt?

But, Kevin reminded himself, the inner workings of Edward Mask's mind had always been a mystery to him, and no doubt would always remain so. Smiling to himself at his brother's own stupidity, Kevin began to walk faster, only slowing again when he began to feel suddenly very hot. Kevin slowed down until he had stopped completely, standing back to study the source of the orange glow he had just followed up the hill.

Kevin had been correct to assume that the glow was coming from the vicinity of the old cave Mars had once used as his home within the DMP headquarters, but the glow was not a man-made fire as Kevin had thought it to be. It was instead a gaping crack in the hillside, leading down to a steaming, glowing pit of lava. Kevin edged curiously closer to the opening, an odd sensation washing over him as he spotted a thick log that spanned the gap, acting as a bridge of sorts.

Kevin glanced from side to side suspiciously, his senses warning him that he may not be alone on the hillside. When Kevin failed to see any other signs of life, he approached the end of the log, frowning down at it. It was the same size and thickness as the spiked log the DMP had used to bridge the lava pit in The Academy training room, only it lacked the vicious spikes. The log looked as though it had been used as a bridge before, as either end of it had sunk into the banks of the ravine, suggesting the log had lain there for quite some time.

Kevin gulped, resisting the urge to tremble. Despite having fought off so many of his other demons, Kevin could never shake his fear of fire and heights, least of all when they were combined in such a manner. Ignoring the thoughts of his mother's untimely death and the sickening predicament he had once found himself in with Mars during his training at the DMP Academy, Kevin took a step onto the log, testing it first with one foot before stepping fully onto it with both feet.

When the log failed to so much as creak or groan, Kevin regained some of his confidence, and began to slowly walk along its length, carefully placing one foot in front of the other. The heat rising from the depths of the crevice was blistering to say the least, but Kevin was determined to continue onwards, and this bridge was the only foreseeable way to cross the gap.

As he reached the middle, Kevin paused to drag the sleeve of one arm across his forehead, wiping away the sweat that was running down the sides of his face and making his hair stick to his skin. As Kevin started to walk again, the log began to groan softly beneath his feet. Kevin lost a little of his confidence, slowing his pace somewhat. The log had not made any noise before, why should it be groaning in complaint now?

A sickening thought slowly spread through Kevin's mind, making the heat below him suddenly feel cold. He tried to hurry, tried to run across the log, taking longer, quicker steps; but he was too late. The log let out a series of almighty snapping sounds and broke in the middle, falling away beneath Kevin's feet. In a desperate attempt to make it across, Kevin threw himself towards the other side of the ravine, swiping at thin air with both hands. The two halves of the log fell down to the lava below, but Kevin managed to grab onto the ledge at the other side with both hands, his body hanging against the hot rocky interior of the mountain.

Kevin sighed in relief, letting out a short, nervous laugh as he acknowledged his thumping heart, which felt as though it had taken up residence in his throat. Kevin gripped into the soft, ash ledge and began to pull himself upwards. He was less than reassured by just how soft the ledge was, but Kevin continued to pull on the ground, stepping one foot up next to his hands.

"No–!" he yelped, as the soft ground suddenly crumbled in his hands and beneath his foot.

Kevin tried to grab at the ledge again as he fell, but failed to grab onto anything solid. Kevin began to cry out in despair, but something caught one of his wrists firmly, halting his fall. Kevin instinctively grabbed onto it, gripping tightly into it. Kevin looked up to see just what it was that had stopped his fatal plummet, freezing in fear as he saw a hand gripped around his wrist. Kevin saw that he had, in turn, gripped his own hand around the wrist above the hand that held him in place.

Kevin gulped as a red point slowly appeared over the top of the ledge, followed by a glimmering golden visor, then a pair of golden eyes, narrowed and crazy-looking, followed by a pair of scars, and finally a set of teeth formed into a maniacal grin, edged by a set of fangs a vampire would be proud of.

"Mars?" Kevin said weakly.

"Well, well, if it ain't Kevin Mask!" Mars sneered.

"Mars, what are you doing here?" Kevin asked.

"I could ask da same question of you, Mask," Mars calmly replied. "And ain't dis an amusin' circumstance we find ourselves in right here?"

"Amusing?" Kevin asked warily.

"Well, I dunno about you, Mask, but up here, I'm gettin' dis strange sensation, kinda like de ja vu, y'know?"

"Yes, well, I do see your point there. Now do you think you could see fit to helping me up please?"

"Y'know Mask, I dunno if dat's really what I wanna do."

Kevin gulped again, looking down at the bubbling, boiling pool of lava far below him, before looking back up at Mars's face. The orange glow of the lava was reflecting off of Mars's already crazed expression, making him seem all the more insane and fearsome.

"Y'know Mask, I took a big gamble helpin' you out on dat spiked log when we was in Da Academy together," Mars continued. "Anyone else wouldn't have taken a chance like dat. I put myself at risk by lettin' go wid one hand to catch you in da first place. I was sweatin' my hands was slippin', and your weight coulda just dragged me down into da lava wid your useless corpse."

"But that's not what happened, Mars," Kevin nervously replied.

"No, but dat's what coulda happened," Mars reminded him. "And den, y'know, I could have made you tell me your secret before I pulled you back up. I could have made you talk, and den let you fall. Cause y'know dat's what any other Devil Chojin woulda done to you."

"You made me suffer by letting me live, Mars, and you knew it!" Kevin argued back. "You knew I tortured myself day and night for revealing the one secret my father entrusted me with!"

"And in savin' your sorry ass, I got nothin' but another scar dat I have to live wid forever more."

"That's not true! You learned the secret of the Number Cruncher, and you used it to advance through the Generation Ex Tournament, which you would have won, had it not been for that girl!"

"Kiki?"

"Yes, Kiki! And I don't think she would be very happy if she knew that you were threatening the life of a fellow Justice Chojin!"

"Au contraire, Mask."

"What do you mean? What are you talking about now?"

"Well Ikeman McMadd said dat dere was only one place left on da IWF roster. You got dat place when you beat me in da final match, but I guess if somethin' happened to you – something real bad – dat place would be available again, and I could just go back an' take it for myself."

Kevin's jaw slowly dropped open, and Mars's vicious grin widened.

"What's da matter, Mask?" Mars hissed. "You don't look too happy wid my plan."

"Mars, you can't kill me!" Kevin insisted. "That's not the sort of behaviour befitting of a Justice Chojin! And besides, could you really, honestly live with your conscience if you let me die?"

"Well, I've sure had a hard job livin' wid my conscience after I let you live..." Mars slowly replied.

"But if you had let me fall that day in The Academy, just think of what would have happened!" Kevin argued.

"Oh, I've been thinkin' about dat a lot!" Mars growled. "First of all, I woulda won da Generation Ex Tournament, and I woulda never had to get my ass handed to me by your dumbass brother and his little friends! I woulda never had to go back to da Hercules Factory! I coulda just won da tournament, got da girl and had myself a happy ending! You ruined my happy ending da last time Mask, I ain't gonna let you do it again!"

"But Mars, consider!" Kevin cried desperately. "Could you really have lived with your conscience had you done just that? Where would be the honour in any of that? Thanks to me, you were able to confront your past, to cleanse your demons, to truly fight for honour and justice!"

"I ain't fallin' for any of your crap, Kevin. I already made up my mind about what I was gonna do before I even caught you. Dere ain't nothin' you can say or do now dat's gonna make me change my mind."

"Mars–"

"Da fact of matter is, when I saved your life da last time around, I was bein' nice. I didn't have to do it, I just did it to be nice, cause we had been friends, and I felt I owed you somethin'. But I don't owe you nothin' no more. I was too nice den, and I've learned now dat what dey say is true: nice guys finish last. I got five finger holdin' your life in place here."

Mars gripped the tips of his fingers into Kevin's wrist to emphasise his point, drawing a gasp of alarm from Kevin, who sensed he knew exactly what Mars was about to say next.

"Which is kinda ironic really, because five seconds is exactly how long you've got left, Kevin Mask," Mars said gruffly. "Five…"

Kevin gulped again, this time unable to stop himself from trembling in fear of the inevitable.

"Four…" Mars said, lifting his thumb from Kevin's wrist to leave just his four fingers holding Kevin up.

The heat of the lava was making Kevin sweat profusely, and his own grip on Mars's wrist was beginning to fail him, his hand slowly sliding down over Mars's hand.

"Three…" Mars said, lifting his little finger.

Kevin's hand, without the support of Mars's hand holding it in place, slid down into Mars's remaining three fingers, where he tried his best to hold on.

"Two…" Mars said, lifting another finger.

Kevin locked eyes with Mars, hoping to appeal to him somehow; but the cold, hardened look in Mars's hawklike golden eyes told Kevin that his plight was hopeless.

"One…" Mars growled, lifting another finger so that Kevin was left dangling from Mars's index finger.

Mars's eyes narrowed to thin slits, his fangs glinting in the flickering light of the lava pool as he said his final word to Kevin.

"Zero."

Mars pulled his finger sharply from Kevin's grasp, and Kevin began to fall to his doom.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Is this the end for Kevin Mask? And just what is Mars planning to do next? **Chapter 36 – Whatever Happened to a Handshake?**

**A/N(2):** And now just a quick timeout to say thanks again to all those who have supported me throughout this fic, through my artistic temper tantrums and through my more sane moments, you've been great, and I couldn't have done it without you. Thanks guys!


	38. Whatever Happened to a Handshake?

**A/N:** After months of protesting, I have finally managed to convince MediaMiner to create an Ultimate Muscle fanfic section. The reason this has significance is that, unlike this site, MediaMiner allow posting of NC-17 material. I am, at the moment, the only person posting UM fics on MediaMiner, so if anyone wants to join me, please feel free… Also, what I am posting at present is merely the "uncut" versions of the fics I have posted here. If anyone wants to read my raw material, or post anything themselves, the link is posted under my biography, just click on my name above this chapter to get to it.

**Recap:** Kevin returned to the old DMP headquarters where he fell from a makeshift bridge, only to be caught by Mars, leaving him at the mercy of a bitter and angry Mars, who threatened to take Kevin's life to free up a place on the IWF roster for himself.

* * *

Chapter 36 – Whatever Happened to a Handshake?

"Zero."

Mars pulled his finger sharply from Kevin's grasp, and Kevin began to fall to his doom. Kevin began to cry out in despair, but his tone quickly rose to a scream as Mars swooped down and grabbed his hair, halting his fall. Kevin screamed out in agony, looking up at Mars, who was leaning down over the ledge, one hand wound around his hair.

"Well what do ya know, your pretty boy hair just saved your sorry ass!" Mars sneered, before pulling himself back to safety, dragging Kevin with him.

Kevin grabbed his hands at Mars's arm, pulling himself up to alleviate the strain on his hair. Mars pulled him upwards, grinning as Kevin squirmed and moaned in pain, dragging Kevin's body up onto the ledge before finally releasing his hair. Mars then reached down, grabbing one of Kevin's ankles, he yanked Kevin's leg up and threw him onto solid ground.

Mars quickly leapt to his feet, kicking Kevin in the ribs, forcing him to roll over away from the lava pit. Mars swung his leg to aim a second kick at Kevin, but Kevin quickly rolled out of the way, leaping to his feet to stand face-to-face with Mars.

"Ungrateful asshole!" Mars snarled, placing both hands on Kevin's chest and shoving him back.

Kevin stumbled backwards, before promptly marching back up to confront Mars again. Mars aimed a fist at Kevin, but Kevin expertly caught the blow in one hand.

"Let's not go there, shall we?" he said. "We already did, and I seem to recall that you came off the worst from that little fiasco."

"Bastard," Mars growled, yanking his hand from Kevin's grasp and turning his back on him.

Kevin watched Mars stomp towards his old cave, dropping himself down by the mouth of it and sitting with his shoulders hunched over. Another wave of nausea washed over Kevin, and he was suddenly aware once more of the painful gash Mars's Red Rain of Pain had left in his side. Resisting the urge to touch a hand to his injury, Kevin cleared his throat and straightened his back, trying his best to hide his discomfort.

"You know for a moment back there, you had me really rather worried," Kevin confessed.

"Yeah, whatever," Mars mumbled, striking a match and lighting the small pile of sticks he had constructed by the mouth of his cave.

"Mars, what the bloody hell are you doing up here, anyway?" Kevin asked, starting towards him.

"Don't come over here!" Mars warned him, holding up one hand in protest.

Kevin obediently stopped, sighing in frustration. Kevin watched on in mild curiosity as Mars jabbed a sharpened twig into something meat-like and began to roast it over the small fire he had made.

"Y'know, I've saved your life two times now, and you still ain't never said thank you," Mars muttered sulkily as he watched the stick in his hand hover over the flames.

"I don't believe I'm hearing this!" Kevin drawled. "Honestly, you sound like a spoilt little child! What do want from me, Mars?"

"A bit o' gratitude sure wouldn't go amiss right about now!" Mars sneered, eying Kevin over before turning his attentions back to the fire and turning the stick over to cook the other side of his food.

"Alright then, thank you!" Kevin sarcastically replied. "There, how was that?"

"Say it like you mean it."

"Oh, what?"

"I hate you."

"Oh God, alright! Thank you, Mars. Thank you so much for saving me from certain death. Again. I'm eternally grateful. There, are you happy now, you miserable little shit?"

"Oh, you just had to add dat insult on at da end, didn't you? You couldn't actually bring yourself to just admit dat I helped you out, and thank me honestly, could you?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Mars! What more do you want? Shall I write my thank you in blood for you? And besides, why the hell should I be thankful to you? Need I remind you that you have never saved my life wilfully? You even said as much yourself! You only ever helped me because there was something in it for you. You only ever saved my life for your own personal gain, you selfish, yellow-eyed prick!"

Mars turned to face Kevin, his lips pursed and his eyes narrowed.

"Okay, so maybe I saved you before because you was gonna tell me your daddy's secret, but what about tonight, huh?" Mars challenged, waving his stick at Kevin as he spoke. "I saved you out of da goodness of my heart, and you can't even say thank you properly for it!"

"First of all, I did say thank you "properly"!" Kevin retorted, squinting at the mat on the end of the stick in a mixture of disgust and curiosity. "And secondly, tonight you saved my life for personal gain. Yet again. You knew that if you let me fall, and any harm were to come to you as a direct result of your actions, you would be left with another scar. And you're so bloody vain and self-centred, you didn't want any more blemishes on your perfect body or your perfect face!"

"Dat's not true. And it ain't my fault I'm such a handsome guy."

Kevin sighed and growled and shook his head, raking the fingers of one hand through his hair. Kevin snarled in frustration as his fingers got caught in his now knotted hair, muttering a string of curses under his breath as he untangled his fingers, pulling out several strands of his hair in the process.

"You never cared about me."

Mars fixed his eyes onto Kevin again, a hint of a smile flickering on his face for a brief moment.

"Excuse me?" he asked quietly, as he prodded a finger experimentally at the meat on the end of his stick.

"I said you never cared about me," Kevin repeated.

"Okay, now who's soundin' like a crybaby, huh?" Mars sneered.

"Well it is the truth," Kevin continued, shaking wisps of honey blonde hair from his gloved hand. "A true friend would have cared. You never cared if I lived or died, did you?"

"Ditto," Mars shortly replied, pointing his nose up in the air.

"I was new to the DMP! You should have been looking after me!"

"Would you listen to yourself, Mask? Is dis really da sort of talk for a Chojin Crown Champion? Man, you've got some serious issues. You need some counsellin'."

"Oh, looks who's talking…"

Mars carefully placed down his stick and food before slowly rising to his feet, turning his head to one side to watch Kevin from the corner of one eye.

"I don't like da way you just said dat, Mask," Mars growled.

"I know more about you than any other living person," Kevin darkly replied. "I know things about you that your little girlfriend would probably die if she heard me repeat."

Mars slowly nodded his head.

"Maybe dat's true, but you forget dat you ain't da only one who knows all o' my secrets," Mars pointed out.

"Oh really?" Kevin sneered, folding his arms across his chest. "And who else knows half of what I do about the real Mars?"

"Dat waitress broad from High Park knows all my secrets," Mars replied. "Or did you forget dat she was camped outside my bedroom for six weeks? Cause dat girl knows all your secrets too, Mask."

"I don't think she's really much of a threat to either of us, Mars."

"Oh yeah? Why, did you kill her?"

"I don't need to."

Mars took a step closer to Kevin, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Cause I don't trust Julie no more dan I trust you right now, Mask," he said.

"Julie?" Kevin echoed. "Who the hell is Julie?"

"Oh, now you're gonna pretend like you don't remember her, huh?

"Julie?"

"Da girl you had a cutesy little crush on!"

Kevin paused, before sighing and rolling his eyes towards the sky.

"Amy," he corrected Mars.

"Julie, Amy, whatever her name was, you know who I'm talkin' about," Mars sneered.

"Amy," Kevin repeated. "Amy was at our match yesterday, I'll have you know. But she's no threat to either of us. She's just another stupid fangirl."

"Oh yeah? I see she kept your mask, Mask."

Kevin touched a hand to his cheek self-consciously, narrowing his eyes at Mars.

"And yet I see that she gave you back your stupid bird headdress…" he muttered.

"Hey listen Mask, if you just came here to insult me, I'ma have to kick your sorry ass back down dat lava pit!" Mars snapped.

"Alright, alright!" Kevin sighed. "I came here to look for…"

Mars took another step closer to Kevin, folding his arms and tilting his head expectantly as he waited for Kevin to continue.

"Well, if I'm being completely honest, I half-expected to find Amy here with my mask," Kevin quietly finished. "Failing that, I rather hoped I might find Edward."

"Eddie ain't here," Mars flatly replied. "And da last I heard, Amy went to your hotel wid your mask, lookin' for you."

"She did?" Kevin echoed, his eyes widening in unabashed interest. "But how did she know where I was staying?"

"She's a crazy fangirl, she's probably been watchin' you all dis time! I bet she followed you when you left here, followed you when you an' Pumpinator an' Dial Bolic took on da Muscle League. Den she followed you when you ran away to wherever it was you got to, den followed you when you was plannin' against me in da Generation Ex Tournament. And den she followed you while you was trainin' wid da android wid no pants. And den she went to all your matches in da Chojin Crown Tournament!"

"I hardly think so! Did you forget that Doomsmane almost killed her? I took her to a hospital when I left here! She had no idea where I went to next, she in intensive care!"

"You went to fight Kid Muscle and his friends next, you idiot! It was on international television, everybody saw you!"

"Yes, alright, but really Mars, give the girl some credit! She was never a complete fool!"

"You would say dat, you always had da hots for her."

"I did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Mars, how old are we? This is ridiculous! No-one would know that we were the two finalists of the Chojin Crown if they could hear us now! This is so childish!"

"Did too."

"I bloody well did not!"

"Den why's your face goin' red, huh?"

Kevin quickly turned his back on Mars, loudly drawing in a deep breath of the cold night air through his nostrils.

"Kevvy likes Amy!" Mars sang quietly behind him.

"Do you know," Kevin began, turning back to face Mars, waving one finger in the air. "I have travelled the world, I had Edward Mask as a younger brother, I was stalked by that Amy girl, I have worked with Kid Muscle, Terry Kenyon, Wally Tusket, Dik Dik Van Dik and Jaeger, I have had to tolerate screaming, incoherent fans, I have had to put up with Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki, but I can honestly say, with my hand on my heart, that you, Mars, are the single most irritating bastard that I have ever had the misfortune to be associated with!"

"I missed you too, Kev," Mars replied, cocking a smirk at Kevin.

"I've had enough of this crap," Kevin grumbled.

"Hey, all I was askin' for was a little appreciation," Mars reminded him. "You ain't never thanked me once."

"Perhaps because we always end up falling into ridiculous arguments about ludicrous matters! Kind of like what just happened just now!"

"All I wanted was for you to say thank you."

"And all I wanted was for you to admit that you have never done anything out of the goodness of your heart, you bird-faced arsehole!"

"You see dis is why we always argue. You start it. Every time. Always wid da insults. You got da social grace of a gorilla wid his finger up his ass."

"Good God, look at us. You're right. I am thankful for what you've done. And likewise I'm sure you know the true motivations behind your actions. Both of us are guilty of over-complicating matters, and both of us are too proud to admit when we're wrong. Whatever happened to a handshake, eh?"

Mars smiled, taking another step towards Kevin and extending a hand towards him. Kevin searched Mars's eyes suspiciously for a moment before taking a step forwards and reaching out to take his hand. At the last possible moment, Mars tugged his hand out of Kevin's reach, spinning on his heel and turning his back on Kevin.

"Just get outta here," he muttered.

Kevin blinked several times in confusion, his hand still hovering where Mars's had been. As he watched Mars kick a small pebble into the fire he had built, Kevin slowly began to regain his senses once more. As Mars leaned down to retrieve his stick, holding it over the fire once more, Kevin sighed to himself.

"Before I do go Mars, there is just one other thing I have to ask you," he began, lowering his hand to his side.

"No," Mars stubbornly replied without turning round.

"You can't answer a question I haven't even asked yet, Mars," Kevin pointed out.

"I'm tellin' ya, whatever it is, da answer is no," Mars firmly replied. "I'm not interested."

"It's about Edward."

Mars stiffened, turning his head to one side to watch Kevin over his shoulder from the corner of one eye.

"I'm listenin'," he said.

"Well, as you know, Edward was always very…" Kevin began, waving his hands in front of himself as he tried to think of a suitable word to describe his brother.

"Disturbed?" Mars offered.

"In love with you," Kevin said.

"Da feelin' was never mutual, trust me."

"Well good. And you never…"

"Never what?"

"Well, you know..."

"No. Da only time I ever did anything like dat was dat time he made me kiss him and you walked in on us."

"Alright. Thank you Mars. And I'm sorry I doubted you on that one."

"Dat's alright. I can forgive you if you can thank me for savin' you all dose times."

"Right."

Mars lifted the stick from the fire, plucking the meat from the end of it. He opened his mouth to eat it, pausing as he caught Kevin watching him with wide eyes.

"You want some?" he offered Kevin.

"No thank you, " Kevin replied, waving a hand at him dismissively. "I haven't been able to keep anything down since our match yesterday. I think I must have eaten something beforehand that disagreed with me. Probably one of that android's protein drinks."

"Or maybe da Skull of Mystery?" Mars asked, before biting into his meal.

"Ah," Kevin said slowly, touching a hand to his stomach. "That might explain a few things. Like why I've been vomiting blood, for a start…"

Mars nodded as he finished off his food, turning his back on Kevin again and tossing his stick into his cave.

"Heh. Whatever happened to a handshake, huh?" he muttered.

"That's a bloody good question," Kevin quietly replied.

Kevin raised his hand again, holding it out towards Mars's back. Mars looked down at Kevin's hand and then up at Kevin himself before turning to face him again.

"I forgive you for doubtin' me," he conceded, clapping his hand against Kevin's.

"Thank you," Kevin replied, gripping onto Mars's hand. "For everything."

"Good luck wid bein' champion, yeah?" Mars added.

"Yes," Kevin sighed. "I rather suspect I'll need it. And good luck with whatever it is that you decide to do next."

"And hey if I don't see ya again in dis life, I'll see ya in da next one, yeah?"

Kevin nodded his head, before releasing Mars's hand. Kevin took a step back from Mars, looking around himself thoughtfully.

"Dat way," Mars offered, pointing over Kevin's shoulder.

"Ah," Kevin said, nodding his head as he looked in the direction Mars was pointing. "But I left my bike down that side," he added, pointing down the hill.

"Den I guess you got a long walk back," Mars plainly replied.

Kevin watched Mars walk back over to the entrance to his old cave and sit down facing the small fire he had built, crossing his legs in front of himself. When Mars failed to look his way again, Kevin slowly nodded his head, backing away from Mars.

"Goodbye, Mars," he said, holding up one hand.

"Goodbye, Kevin," Mars replied, his eyes still fixed on the fire.

"Goodbye," Kevin whispered as he continued to back away.

When Mars still did not look up, Kevin turned around and began to stride around and down the hill, avoiding the long lava-filled ravine. Walking around it to get back down to his bike would make his journey much longer, but at least it was the safe option.

"Goodbye Mars," Kevin muttered to himself as the ground beneath his feet steadily became more solid and dependable. "Goodbye, my friend."

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Kevin Mask goes to the Chojin Crown celebration ball, where he is forced to confront the Muscle League, the McMadds and even his own father. After reflecting on his past, Kevin makes a decision about his future. **Chapter 37 – Birds of a Feather**.


	39. Birds of a Feather

**A/N:** I don't want to drag the inevitable ending of this fic out unnecessarily, so I have tried to keep these remaining three chapters brief; although they do all sag in terms of action and stray a little from the point. Bear with me though folks, we're nearly there!

**Recap:** Mars saved Kevin's life (again) and after discussing their pasts, presents and futures, Kevin decided to go back to the IWF and Mars decided to stay at the old DMP headquarters.

* * *

**Chapter 37 – Birds of a Feather**

Kevin Mask cautiously pushed one of the double doors open, peering through it at what lay beyond. The hall was as brightly lit and as gaudily decorated as it had been for the pointless dance and buffet sessions the McMadds had held between every round of the Generation Ex Tournament three years previously, the only apparent difference being that this ball was hosting far more guests, and only wrestlers seemed to be present.

Kevin pushed the door fully open, taking one step through it. He quickly surveyed the room again, passing, but soon returning to, a group of three men standing by the punch bowl at the end of one table. Even from his position some distance from the three figures, Kevin could quite clearly make out who they all were. Then again, it was not really difficult to recognise the lurid turquoise tuxedo of Kid Muscle, the checked shirt and leather waistcoat of Terry Kenyon or the cumbersome green helmet of Jaeger.

Kevin began to curl his lip in disgust, but quickly stopped himself for two important reasons: first of all, he had yet to retrieve his mask, and without it, everyone could see what sort of expression he wore, a concept he was going to take some getting used to, and secondly, and perhaps most importantly of all, Kid Muscle, Terry Kenyon and Jaeger were now officially his team mates. Kevin was going to have to learn to get along with them whether he liked it or not.

Kevin cleared his throat nervously, stepping fully into the room. A chunk of hair fell from the band Kevin had used to tie it back at the back of his neck, falling forward and covering part of one eye. Kevin quickly tucked the hair behind his ear, glancing around himself as though he expected to be reprimanded for his actions; but no-one in the room appeared to have so much as noticed his arrival yet.

As the star of the ball, as the new Chojin Crown Champion, Kevin knew that he was effectively the guest of honour, and a part of him expected to be treated as such; but an even bigger part of Kevin was screaming at him to just turn around, run out of the hall, jump onto his motorbike and get as far away from the hall, the Muscle League and the IWF as was humanly possible.

Clearing his throat again, Kevin tugged at his tuxedo jacket, straightening his back and lifting his chin upwards. He was the Chojin Crown Champion now and it was time he started acting like one. Kevin began to march boldly across the hall only to stumble to a halt as three girls half his size wandered across his path.

"Hey check it out, girls! It's Nick Hasler!"

"Damn, I don't have a pen! Do you girls think he might give me his autograph with my eyeliner pencil instead?"

"Trixie, Roxanne, leave it out! And Kevin, go put your mask back on! You're scaring the children!"

Trixie clapped a hand over her mouth, but her giggles were still easily audible. Roxanne gasped, her jaw dropping as she stared at Kiki in shock at her last remark.

"Good evening to you too, ladies," Kevin dryly replied. "And if you really must know, Kiki, I would love to put my mask back on, only someone stole it from me."

"Yeah, Jacqueline McMadd!" Trixie said, shaking her head. "And let's face it, she's got more need to cover that ugly mug than you do!"

"Jacqueline McMadd?" Kevin echoed, frowning in confusion.

"Julie left your mask outside your hotel room, but you'd already left by the time she got there," Kiki explained. "Jacqueline McMadd went there to look for you, and she found your mask."

"And she's been carrying it around with her ever since," Trixie added.

"Maybe because she totally wants Kevin now that he's the new champion," Roxanne sarcastically replied.

"Julie?" Kevin said slowly. "You mean Amy?"

"No, I mean Julie!" Kiki snapped. "She's the girl with the scars on her face!"

"Yes," Kevin replied, nodding his head. "Her name is Amy."

"But Mars said her name was Julie."

"No, her name was Amy."

Kiki pursed her lips at Kevin's short reply, eying him over thoughtfully before locking eyes with him again and grinning up at him maliciously.

"Whatever her name was, she totally hated you, Kevin!" she sneered.

"Well good, because I hate her too!" Kevin casually replied. "In fact, I hate her almost as much as I hate you."

"Yeah, whatever!" Kiki snorted.

"Excuse me," Kevin said, stepping past Kiki.

"What a jerk," Kiki grumbled as she watched Kevin walk away.

"Who cares about Kevin Mask anyway?" Roxanne said, shrugging her shoulders.

Kevin, who had still been close enough to the girls to hear Roxanne's last remark, found himself placing more significance on her words than perhaps even Roxanne herself had intended. After all, he thought to himself, who did care about him?

"120 million wrestling fans worldwide!" Ikeman wailed, stepping into Kevin's path and halting his advance.

"What?" Kevin echoed, frowning down at the IWF chairman.

"130 million wrestling fans worldwide saw you dispose of your title like it was common household garbage!" Ikeman continued, shaking the Chojin Crown Championship Belt in front of Kevin's face.

"Oh that old thing!" Kevin casually replied, taking the belt from Ikeman. "I wondered where that had gotten to."

"You wondered where it had gotten to?" Ikeman echoed. "You dropped into a garbage can, Kevin Mask! And you were seen by 140 million wrestling fans worldwide!"

Kevin paused, frowning to himself. He was beginning to sense that Ikeman was even more upset by his treatment of the championship belt than he had at first thought, since it appeared that the chairman was getting a little confused with his numbers.

"I disposed of this belt in the backstage area," Kevin slowly said. "There were no cameras. How could anyone have possibly seen what I did?"

"Because there was a camera crew backstage waiting to interview the winner of the match!" Ikeman replied. "And they caught you on camera! On live television, no less! And it was broadcast to 150 million wrestling fans!"

"Worldwide?"

"No, that was just in this country! There were probably ten times that many fans watching worldwide!"

"Ten times that many?"

"Worldwide!"

"1500 million fans? One and a half billion people?"

"And they all saw what you did!"

Kevin pulled a sceptical face at Ikeman, no longer caring that his expressions were exposed for all to see.

"Do me a favour, McMadd," Kevin sighed, unbuttoning his tuxedo jacket and pulling the championship belt around his waist.

"What?" Ikeman asked, watching as Kevin fastened the belt in place and then lowered his jacket over it, leaving the jacket open at the front to show the gold plate to all.

"Piss off," Kevin said bluntly, before marching onwards, past the IWF chairman.

Ikeman watched Kevin go, his jaw hanging open in shock.

"You can't talk to me like that!" he shouted after Kevin.

"I just did," Kevin called back over his shoulder.

Ikeman gasped in horror.

"What a vile man!" he hissed.

But Kevin did not hear Ikeman's last remark, as he was already out of earshot, closing the gap between himself and the Muscle Leaguers by the punch bowl with every long stride he took.

"Kevin."

Kevin jerked to a halt, taking one step back in shock at the sight of the man standing in his path.

"Father?"

Robin Mask sighed, his eyes lowering to the belt around Kevin's waist.

"Congratulationsh, shon," he said, raising his eyes to Kevin's again.

"Thank you," Kevin tightly replied. "And…?"

Kevin cleared his throat expectantly, but quickly regretted the action, as something scratched at his throat, bringing with it an overwhelming desire to wretch.

"You don't look too happy, Kevin," Robin said, catching the twisted expression on his son's face.

"Well, I seem to recall that you made me a promise, Sir," Kevin replied, nipping at his throat with his fingers as he tried to get relief from the scratching, burning sensation that had taken up residence there.

"You mean the keysh to the Mashk Family Eshtate?" Robin asked.

"That's exactly what I mean," Kevin confirmed. "You did promise them to me. Unless of course that was just another one of your crappy false promises that you intend to break."

Robin silently reached one hand into the pocket of his suit jacket, pulling out a bundle of keys.

"I am a man of my word, Kevin," he said coldly, dangling the keys in front of Kevin's face. "I am a man of honour."

Kevin reached a hand out towards the keys, pausing as his father's words began to take on a hidden meaning inside his mind. He shifted his eyes to the burning red eyes of his father, glowing out from beneath the shadow of his mask.

"Are you implying that I am not a man of honour?" he asked.

"Not at all," Robin monotonously replied.

Kevin slowly closed his hand around the keys to the Mask Family Estate, which his father then obligingly released.

"You've never forgiven me for joining the DMP, have you?" Kevin asked as he slowly lowered his hand to his side.

"I never shaid that," Robin replied.

"You didn't answer my question," Kevin pointed out.

"I don't really think that I need to anshwer your question."

"Of course not. But do you know, maybe, just maybe, if you had been a better father to me, I would never have run away from home in the first place. And I would never have joined the DMP. I would have been at home to receive my invitation to join the Hercules Factory training programme just like all the other new generation Muscle Leaguers, and I would have followed the path of a Justice Chojin from the very start!"

"We can't change the pasht."

"No, and apparently we can't change ourselves, either. You have just proven to me yet again that you are a useless father. Rather than offer to train me for the Chojin Crown yourself, rather than try to instil the Mask family values into your eldest son, you chose to programme your pet robot to do it for you. And not only that, you had the nerve to make that thing pretend to be my friend! And you told it to tell me to make friends with that group of idiots!"

Kevin thrust a pointed finger in the direction of Checkmate, Wally and Dik Dik Van Dik, who were all playing a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, with Checkmate and Wally laughing every time that Dik Dik lost. Robin looked over his shoulder at the trio, before turning back to Kevin.

"Well, you have what you alwaysh wanted now, Kevin," Robin said. "You have your Chojin Crown championship, you have the family eshtate and you have your freedom."

Robin walked on, passing Kevin, who turned to watch him leave in shock.

"What?" he called after his father. "Is that all you have to say to me? After all these years, that's it, is it?"

Robin stopped, turning back to face Kevin.

"No, you're right, there ish jusht one more thing I have to shay to you, Kevin," Robin called back to him.

"Oh yeah?" Kevin asked, planting his hands on his hips with an air of nonchalance.

"Yeah," Robin replied. "Be a good boy and put your mashk back on, you're shcaring the children."

Kevin's jaw dropped open, but Robin merely turned his back on his son and marched onwards, across the hall away from Kevin.

"What the…?" Kevin muttered, touching a hand to his cheek self-consciously.

Kevin growled in frustration, but his growl quickly turned into a short choking spell as something scraped at his throat, temporarily restricting his airways. Kevin quickly recovered himself and continued on his way towards Kid Muscle, Terry Kenyon and Jaeger, but again he was stopped on his journey.

"Kevin Mask!" Dik Dik greeted him, stepping into his path. "You may have beaten me in that stupid round of "Ha, made you look!" but I'd like to see you beat me in a real wrestling match!"

Dik Dik lifted his fists up in front of his face, pretending to challenge Kevin to a boxing match.

"You'll excuse me, but I'm not really in the mood to go ten rounds in the ring with a man who looks like Bambi's stunt double," Kevin dryly replied.

"You know Kevin, that really wasn't a very nice thing to say!" Wally protested. "It's no wonder you don't have any friends!"

"And it's a wonder that you do, you lard-arsed, hairy-faced, fish-smelling bastard," Kevin retorted.

"I fear Wally hath spoken the truth, Kevin Mask," Checkmate argued. "For I should not be as fastidious as thou art for a kingdom!"

Kevin slowly eyed Checkmate over, his top lip curling in disgust.

"Well maybe you should consider it," he spat. "You know, when you were in the DMP, you were alright. But look at you now! You're nothing but a loser! You didn't even make it past the Three Feet Heat! And all because of the company you keep…"

"What Checkmate did in the Three Feet Heat was the honourable thing to do!" Wally pointed out.

"Oh shut up, you fat bastard," Kevin sneered.

"You're not much fun at a party, are you Kevin?" Dik Dik asked.

"I didn't come here to have fun," Kevin snapped. "Now if you will all excuse me, I have some very important business to take of."

Kevin pushed his way between Checkmate and Wally, marching onwards. He sighed quietly to himself as he went relieved that, at last, he could reach his goal in peace.

"There you are Kevin, you sly devil, you!"

"Oh God…" Kevin groaned, slowing to a halt as he sighted Jacqueline McMadd standing by the punch bowl.

Kevin forced a tight-lipped smile as he slowly made his way over to Jacqueline, stopping by her side. Kevin glanced across the table at the trio standing at the other side, silently hoping that whatever Jacqueline had to say to him was briefer than his last few confrontations had been.

"I am so glad that that horrible Lord Flash has finally gone," Jacqueline sighed. "Because now I can have you all to myself."

Jacqueline placed both hands on Kevin's chest, moving them outwards, pulling his jacket with them.

"What the devil do you think you're doing, woman?" Kevin yelped, grabbing her wrists to stop her from removing his jacket entirely.

"Oh Kevin, stop toying with me!" Jacqueline moaned. "I've been such a good girl, I waited so patiently for you all the way through the Chojin Crown Tournament, don't deny me any longer."

Kevin turned his head sharply at the sound of stifled giggles, finding Kid, Terry and Jaeger watching him with smirks of amusement. As Kevin turned back to Jacqueline again, the trio burst out laughing. Kevin opened his mouth to yell at them, but failed to make a sound as another spasm of pain shot through his throat and he suddenly found Jacqueline's hand in a place he was sure he could sue her for putting it.

"Mm, big boy!" Jacqueline said as she gripped her fingers into Kevin.

"Get off of me, you crazy, mad bitch!" Kevin screamed, grabbing her shoulders and shoving her back.

The room fell silent, even the music died away, as Jacqueline McMadd stumbled backwards into the table, one of her heels catching on the tablecloth. Jacqueline began to fall backwards, and Kevin quickly reached out towards her in an attempt to catch her. As she fell, Jacqueline's elbow caught on the punch bowl, flipping it over in the air. Kevin lunged towards Jacqueline but was too late to stop her from falling hard to the floor; although he did manage to catch the punch bowl over his head.

Kevin Mask blinked as the punch stung his eyes, slowly reaching one hand up to lift the glass bowl up off his face. Peering out from under the rim of the punch bowl, Kevin could see that he still held the attention of every other member of the room. Clearing his throat nervously, Kevin lifted the bowl completely off his head, carefully replacing it to the table. He held out a hand towards Jacqueline, but Kid Muscle quickly leapt over the table, helping Jacqueline up himself. He scowled at Kevin, shoving the heel of one hand into Kevin's chest to shove him back.

The force of Kid's blow caused Kevin to wretch as he stumbled backwards, shuddering as something hard and jagged shot up his throat and out of his mouth.

"Ze Skull of Mystery!" Jaeger cheered as he caught the mucus-coated projectile from Kevin's throat.

Kevin groaned, touching his fingers warily to his lips. As he drew back his hand, Kevin frowned down at his fingertips, suppressing another groan as he saw traces of blood and saliva smeared over his fingers.

"Reckon you oughta leave now, Kevin Mask," Terry Kenyon said.

"What?" Kevin echoed, turning to Terry with a questioning frown.

"Yeah Kevin, no-one wants you here," Kid added. "You just piss people off."

Kevin turned to Kid, glaring at him indignantly.

"An' physically attackin' a woman is about as low as a Chojin wrestler can get," Meat added as he joined Kid by the now empty punch bowl.

"I didn't physically attack her!" Kevin argued back.

"Oh no?" Terry asked.

Kevin turned to Jacqueline, who turned her head haughtily from him, smoothing her hands over her cerise hair.

"Well, I mean…" Kevin stammered. "That is to say that… I merely… Oh come on, it was clearly an act of self-defence! Anyone can see that the bloody woman is ruthless!"

"You heartless bastard!" Kid cursed Kevin.

"What?" Kevin yelped.

"I think maybe you should leave now, Kevin," Vance McMadd said as he joined the group. "And don't come back until you've learned how to behave like a true Muscle Leaguer, ya hear?"

"But–"

"Just get out of my sight, Kevin Mask!" Jacqueline shrieked.

Kevin slowly looked around the irate faces staring at him.

"Alright, alright, I'm going," he submitted, holding up both hands in defeat. "I never wanted to come here in the first place…"

Kevin turned away from the group and headed back towards the door. As he passed the trio of Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki, Roxanne added one final insult.

"So why did you come here in the first place, jackass?" she muttered.

Kevin ignored her remark, walking slowly across the hall, wiping the droplets of punch from his face as he went. As much as he had been dreading going to the Chojin Crown ball, he had never imagined that it would be quite as bad as it had been. In many ways, Kevin was relieved that he had been banished from the whole affair, as it was a perfect excuse to escape.

Once he was safely outside Kevin slowed his pace, letting out a long sigh. He massaged a hand at his throat, swallowing hard as he came to the conclusion that the Skull of Mystery must have scratched his throat raw. Stopping and closing his eyes, Kevin began to come to the conclusion that the past two days had officially been the worst in his life. He suddenly found himself wishing for his mask back, if only for the security he felt when he was able to hide his true expressions behind it.

"Hey, you ignorant jerk, you forgot this!" Jacqueline McMadd yelled from the doorway of the dance hall.

Kevin turned around, lifting up his hands in time to catch his mask awkwardly at his chest. He watched Jacqueline make a series of rude hand gestures at him before slipping back into the hall and slamming the door shut.

Kevin slowly looked down at the mask in his hands, turning it over to look to study it more closely. As he moved his eyes over the telltale dents and scratches on the surface of his trusty iron mask, an idea began to formulate in Kevin's mind.

Kevin hated Jacqueline McMadd. He hated Ikeman McMadd, and he even hated Vance McMadd. He hated Kid Muscle, he hated Terry Kenyon, he hated Wally Tusket, he hated Dik Dik Van Dik, he hated Jaeger and he even hated his one-time DMP ally, Checkmate. He hated Meat, he hated Marie, he hated Roxanne, he hated Trixie and he especially hated Kiki. Kevin hated his father and he hated Warsman. Kevin loved being alone, but something had changed, and the idea of being alone no longer held the same appeal to him that it once had.

For the first time in his life, Kevin wanted to have a friend.

Kevin envied the Justice Chojins of the Muscle League, who were always spurred on to victory by the support of their friends; by their clichéd "power of friendship". None of the other new generation Muscle Leaguers were Chojin Crown Champions, but none of the other new generation Muscle Leaguers felt as miserable as Kevin did at that moment in time. As long as they had the support of their friends, it did not matter whether they won or lost.

"Bastards," Kevin grumbled, pushing his mask onto his face and securing it into place.

Kevin had never trusted anyone in his life, he had never truly enjoyed the company of any other person, and he had always enjoyed being alone.

But, Kevin thought to himself, that was not strictly true.

Whilst on the outside, Kevin rarely betrayed his true feelings about others, he had allowed some to get closer to him than he had ever thought possible. He had trusted Lord Flash, and had accepted him as a friend. Of course, Lord Flash had turned out to be a lying robot programmed to like Kevin regardless of who he was or what he did, but the old android had at least taught Kevin that he could forge friendships with others.

Kevin clenched his fists at his sides, turning his head up towards the sky. As he scanned over the countless stars littering the night sky, Kevin remembered that he had actually shared a friendship with one other person. A real person. Someone he had trusted once, someone he had been able to laugh with like Kid Muscle did with his friends. As much as it pained Kevin to admit it, this someone brought out the best in him, by always challenging his abilities in every way. Kevin always learnt something new from his old friend.

And Kevin missed him.

It was like his old friend had once said to him: "you and me Kev are birds of a feather; and birds of a feather, they flock together."

With that thought in mind, Kevin turned towards the dance hall, drawing in a deep breath. It would be worth facing those within the hall just one more time if Kevin could just achieve one final thing. Walking confidently up to the doors, Kevin pushed them open and entered the dance hall, ignoring the disgusted looks he got from those within as they gradually spotted his entrance.

Kevin headed straight towards Ikeman McMadd, glad that at least this time he made it to his goal unhindered.

"McMadd, we need to talk," Kevin said firmly.

Ikeman stood up from his seat, facing Kevin expectantly.

"It's about Mars," Kevin added.

"Did you hear that?" Trixie hissed, elbowing Terry in the ribs.

"Did Kevin Mask just say something about Mars?" Roxanne asked, huddling closer to Trixie and Terry.

"Mars?" Kid wailed, leaning closer to the group.

"Ikeman said that Mars could join the IWF if Kevin let him, remember!" Kiki gasped.

"Do you guys think ol' Kevin had a change of heart?" Trixie asked.

"I reckon there's only one way to find out!" Terry replied. "We gotta get ourselves some disguises an' go undercover so's we can follow those guys!"

"Again?" Kid groaned.

"But what sort of disguises would we need?" Trixie asked.

Terry beckoned for the gang to huddle closer, and so all five formed a tight circle.

"We could go as wrestlers from the DMP!" Kid suggested.

"Too stupid," Terry replied.

"How about we just wear long coats and dark glasses like we usually do?" Trixie offered.

"Nah," Terry responded. "Too obvious at this time o' night."

"That's never stopped us doing it before…" Trixie grumbled under her breath.

"We could dress as security staff!" Roxanne suggested.

"Too complicated," Terry replied.

"What's so complicated about dressing up as security staff?" Roxanne muttered.

"Why don't we just follow Kevin at a safe distance?" Kiki suggested.

"That could work…" Terry said thoughtfully.

"Well, not really," Trixie said, folding her arms.

"Why not?" Terry asked her.

"Because Kevin Mask has already gone, and he's taken his motorbike, so he'll have gotten a pretty good head-start," Trixie replied.

"Oh," Terry said in a deflated tone.

The others all looked around each other apprehensively in the short silence that followed.

"I got ze Skull of Mystery back!" Jaeger sang as he skipped past them.

"Someone shoot him," Roxanne growled.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Kevin goes on a mission to find Mars and convince him to return to the IWF as a member of the Muscle League. But can Kevin Mask really persuade bad boy Mars to conform and become one of the good guys? **Chapter 38 – Babyface**.


	40. Babyface

**A/N:** Just a small reminder: in my universe, Mars is (Italian-)American. And of course, this is the penultimate chapter, folks.

**Recap:** Kevin returned to the Chojin Crown celebration ball, where his father handed him the keys to the Mask Family Estate and Jacqueline McMadd pestered him to breaking point, Kevin asked Ikeman if Mars could join the IWF and Muscle League, and Kevin set off to find Mars.

* * *

**Chapter 38 – Babyface**

Kevin dismounted his motorbike again, looking up the blackened slope of the hill ahead of him. At least this time he knew where the dangers were and how to avoid them, he thought to himself. But the dangers of the reactivated volcano and former home to the DMP headquarters were the least of Kevin Mask's concerns; what had seemed like a good idea back at the dance hall was rapidly turning into an impossible task that Kevin could see no way of completing successfully.

During his journey back to the mountain, Kevin had thought out all possible arguments that he could use to convince Mars to return with him to the IWF as one of their wrestlers. But, for every reason Kevin had come up with, he had also predicted Mars's likely response or counter-argument. After exhausting all possible options that came to mind, Kevin had eventually drawn the conclusion that Kiki was the only bargaining tool that he could use to lure Mars to join him as a Justice Chojin on Earth.

But, Kevin reminded himself as he started the long ascent to Mars's cave, Kiki was a pretty solid case for making Mars want to join the IWF. After all, Mars had honourably risked his life by taking on the remaining members of the DMP and then gone on to retrain at the Hercules Factory just to prove to her that he was a changed man. Surely if Kiki had been reason enough to make Mars go through all of that, Kiki would also be reason enough to make Mars want to join Kevin.

Beneath his mask, Kevin smiled to himself at the thought of Mars being in so in love with Kiki. Not that it was such a ridiculous concept that Mars could love a girl like Kiki, but simply that Mars had fallen in love in the first place. Mars had never struck Kevin as being the sort of man who could love anyone but himself. As strange and powerful as the "power of friendship" was, it seemed that the "power of love" was even stronger still. Love had made Mars change his bad boy ways, love had made Kid Muscle defy his own father and losing love had made Robin Mask cold and withdrawn.

Kevin's smile gave way to a frown. Love was a ridiculous notion, really. It was all about puerile past times such as picnics, candle-lit dinners and pretending to be chivalrous. Kevin began to feel the urge to vomit, and at first put it down to the thought of being ensnared by an emotion as redundant as love; but the coppery taste of blood in the base of his throat reminded him that the internal lacerations the Skull of Mystery had left him with after it mysteriously worked its way back up his gullet were still wreaking havoc with his digestive system.

Kevin began to desire a distraction from his own thoughts, and was relieved when he shortly found one. Lying on the ground a short distance ahead of him was a very familiar pile of thick red cloth. Kevin hurried towards it, grabbing it up and turning it over to confirm his suspicions; it was indeed Mars's headdress, complete with the Mask of Madness.

"Ah man, what are you doin' back here?"

Kevin smirked to himself, lowering Mars's headdress to see Mars himself standing further up the hill, scowling down at him in displeasure.

"I came here looking for someone," Kevin called up to him.

"I already told you, she ain't here," Mars called back. "Go back to your dumb party."

"I wasn't talking about Amy!" Kevin pointed out.

"Neither was I…" Mars dryly replied. "But she ain't here neither."

"I see you still haven't lost your sense of humour," Kevin sighed, starting up the hill towards Mars.

"And unfortunately you still ain't found yours…" Mars muttered, turning his back on Kevin.

"I actually came here to talk to you, Mars," Kevin explained as he neared Mars.

"I ain't got nothin' more to say to you, Mask," Mars replied without turning round.

"You don't have to say anything Mars, you just have to listen to me."

"Great. So you didn't come here to talk to me, ya came here to talk at me. Fantastic."

Kevin stopped, tilting his head to one side as he watched Mars's back. Kevin pointed a finger at Mars, opening his mouth to argue back; but then an idea occurred to him.

"Well it makes a refreshing change from you talking at me, doesn't it?" he said, throwing Mars's headdress towards the entrance of Mars's cave.

Mars slowly turned around to face Kevin, arching his eyebrows at him.

"You never was good at takin' a hint, was you Mask?" Mars asked quietly.

"Why did you enter the Chojin Crown Mars?" Kevin asked, ignoring Mars's last question.

"Da same reason you did," Mars plainly replied. "To win. And apparently, for redemption too."

"Well, you may not have won, but you certainly did redeem yourself in the eyes of the Muscle League, the IWF fans and that girl, didn't you?"

"Her name's Kiki."

"Whatever. The point here is that you got what you wanted, yes?"

"No. I wanted to stay here on Earth wid Kiki."

"And you still can!"

"How?"

"I spoke to Ikeman McMadd. He said he will let you join the IWF."

Mars narrowed his eyes at Kevin, screwing up his face sceptically, before suddenly breaking into a smirk and shaking his head.

"Oh, I get it!" he said. "But dere ain't no way I'm goin' back just because you asked da big man if I could. If I'm goin' back, I'm doin' it da honourable way."

"There's nothing dishonourable about going back now!" Kevin quickly replied. "And besides, who's to say that the IWF don't need your help here on Earth? We were the two finalists of the Chojin Crown, which means that we are the best! Surely the people of Earth would want the top two wrestlers to defend their planet?"

"To defend da planet from what, exactly? Eddie and Da Anarchists?"

"Well, yes, but there are other threats out there too, you know!"

"Like what?"

Kevin began to flounder as he tried desperately to think of a solid reason for the Earth needing Mars's services; but as hard as he tried, Kevin found his mind wandering from the task onto a completely different matter altogether, one that began to eat away at his conscience.

"Mars?" he began slowly.

"What now?" Mars groaned.

"How the hell did you get into the Chojin Crown in the first place, anyway?" Kevin asked, meeting Mars's eyes. "I got in by fighting all the potential candidates from Great Britain. I had to defeat all my fellow Brits in order to get in, just like how Terry Kenyon had to fight all the candidates from America, and Dik Dik Van Dik fought all the candidates from Tanzania, Wally Tusket fought all the candidates from Ireland, Jaeger fought all the candidates from Germany… Even that idiot Kid Muscle had to fight as a representative of Japan. Where did you fit into that whole equation?"

"Well ain't it obvious?" Mars asked.

"Well no, not really. I wouldn't be asking the question is the answer was so obvious, would I?"

"I was da Italian candidate."

"Italian?"

"Yeah."

"But why?"

"Cause I got family from Italy. And I didn't wanna beat Terry Kenyon so early in da tournament, since he is such a fan favourite an' all."

"Okay…"

"What? What does dat matter now, anyways?"

"Well, all that effort, and you got this far in the tournament, it just seems like such a waste to throw it all away now."

"I ain't throwin' nothin' away."

"Must you be so stubborn?"

"Listen Mask, I don't know if I even wanna go back now anyways. I saw what dey did to you. And all dat crap wid dose books, and all dose stupid press conferences…"

"But you love attention!"

"Yeah, but I don't like bein' no babyface."

Kevin stiffened indignantly, but Mars appeared unaware of the extent that his last remark had offended Kevin.

"I'm not a babyface," Kevin quietly said.

"Huh?" Mars echoed, scratching casually at the back of his head.

"I said I am not a babyface!" Kevin snapped. "And I resent being called one! Is that what you think of me now? You think that I'm just another idiot like those other Muscle Leaguers?"

"Well, yeah," Mars casually replied, showing no signs of remorse whatsoever.

"I have never been a babyface like them, I am not one now, and I certainly never intend to be one!"

"Too late. You became one da day you picked up dat belt."

Mars pointed at the championship belt, which was still secured in place around Kevin's waist. Kevin looked down at it, inwardly cursing himself for forgetting to remove it before confronting Mars; no doubt it gave the impression that he had merely returned to brag to Mars about his victory.

"I'm not like them, Mars," Kevin began. "And neither are you. Together we could make the Muscle League whatever we wanted it to be. We don't have to a band of babyface losers like they are! We could teach them to be more like us! Don't you see? It would be just like the old days back in the DMP!"

"It ain't never gonna be like da old days back in da DMP," Mars argued.

"Well, maybe not quite like the old days back in the DMP…" Kevin reluctantly conceded.

"Not quite?" Mars echoed. "Try not at all! I'd rather eat my own foot dan take orders from McMadd."

"Which one?"

"It don't matter. In fact, I'd rather eat both my feet dan takes orders from McMadd."

"I didn't mean which foot, I meant which McMadd?"

"Dat don't matter neither. Dey're all idiots."

"I know."

"And dey are all your problem now, Mask."

"I know."

"And you got all dose stupid interviews, press conferences, books, magazines, posters, action figures, endorsements, infomercials, autograph signings–"

"Would you stop already? You're starting to make me wish that you had just let me fall down that bloody lava pit!"

"Ditto."

Kevin pulled a confused face at Mars, but then promptly remembered that he had his mask on again and Mars could no longer see his expressions.

"What do you mean, "ditto"?" Kevin asked.

"I mean I shoulda just let you fall earlier," Mars grumbled. "What do you got to live for, anyways? Really? If you had lost, what's da worst dat could have happened to you?"

Kevin paused, thinking Mars's question over.

"I would have had to wait until my father died before I could inherit the Mask Family Estate," he concluded.

"Dat's it?" Mars yelped. "You was gonna have to wait to live in your daddy's palace? Dat's your case for needin' to win so badly?"

"There's more," Kevin assured him.

"Oh yeah?" Mars asked through a short, sarcastic laugh. "Like what?"

"I would have had to share the estate with Edward."

"Oh, boohoo! My heart bleeds for you! Get outta my sight!"

"I'm not leaving here without you, Mars."

"Well den I hope you packed a change of underpants, cause you're gonna be here a very long time."

Mars sat himself down onto a rock by the entrance of his cave, resting his forearms on his knees as he looked out over the view he was granted of the city from his vantage point. Kevin sighed in frustration, dragging his feet as he walked up the hill to take a seat on the ground a short distance from Mars, joining him in surveying the view before them.

"Speaking of underpants…" Kevin began thoughtfully.

"I don't have dat problem," Mars quickly replied, his eyes still looking out towards the city.

"I hadn't finished the question," Kevin pointed out.

"You don't need to," Mars assured him. "You was gonna say somethin' about me not havin' any underpants, right? So I said it ain't a problem. I don't wear no underpants."

Kevin shuddered involuntarily.

"That was just too much information," he said tightly. "And not the correct response, since my question didn't actually concern your choice of underwear. I was going to ask you about your wrestling outfit."

Mars looked down at himself before turning his head to look at Kevin.

"What about my wrestlin' outfit?" he asked quietly

"Well, you know, you fought in it, you sweated and bled into it, and you're still wearing it now," Kevin calmly replied. "It's not really very hygienic, is it?"

"And what would you know about hygienic, huh?" Mars retorted.

"A lot more than you, apparently. And why pink?"

"What?"

"Well, you know, it is a bit unusual, isn't it? Big man like you dressing up in a pink leotard to wrestle is one thing, but wearing it all the time is quite another."

"It ain't no leotard, you asshole! And besides, you wear pink too. And you got girly hair."

"What?"

"You look like a girl."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"At least I have a change of clothes."

"I have a change of clothes too."

"No you don't. You know if you came back with me, you could buy some more clothes."

"I don't like clothes shoppin', I ain't no girl."

"No. Apparently you're a bird of prey."

Mars's face slowly twisted as he looked down at Kevin, but Kevin failed to notice his discomfort, as he was looking out at the view before them. After Kevin failed to acknowledge Mars's displeasure after what Mars considered to be an uncomfortably long period of time, Mars decided to investigate the matter further.

"Are you mockin' my heritage again?" Mars asked in a low and threatening voice.

"Not at all," Kevin calmly replied. "I was just thinking about it, that's all."

Mars got to his feet, twitching in irritation as he took two steps away from the rock he had been sat on. Fighting to control his anger, Mars looked over his right shoulder at Kevin, who was still happily sat on the ground, looking out towards the horizon.

"Explain," he growled at Kevin.

"Well," Kevin began, standing up. "You're meant to be a sort of hawk, aren't you?"

"Keep goin'," Mars responded as Kevin slowly walked forwards to join him at his side.

"Well, you're not much of a hawk, are you Mars?" Kevin asked, still watching the horizon as he spoke. "You're more like a chicken, really."

"A what?" Mars barked.

"A chicken," Kevin confirmed. "You're too scared to go back. Just like when Kid Muscle beat you in the Generation Ex Tournament, you were too scared to go back then, too. You're nothing but a big, pathetic chicken."

"Are you tryin' to piss me off?"

"No. If I was trying to piss you off, I'd do something like this."

Mars's eyes slowly widened as he watched Kevin squat down and tuck his arms in to form makeshift chicken wings. Kevin began making ridiculous, loud and annoying chicken sounds, the volume and pitch of which very quickly shattered through Mars's nerves.

"Face it Mars, you're no hawk!" Kevin shouted as he continued to act out his chicken impersonations. "Why you're nothing but a chicken!"

"Hey, knock dat off!" Mars snapped, folding his arms indignantly and leaning away from Kevin as he edged closer. "And at least I ain't no babyface!"

"No, you're just a chicken!" Kevin replied.

"If you don't stop doin' dose stupid chicken dances, I'ma kill you!"

"I'd like to see you try."

"I mean it, Kevin! Stop it!"

"I might stop it. But you would have to do something for me first."

"What's dat?"

"Come back with me."

"No."

"What else are you going to do if you don't come back with me? Honestly man, stop being such a chicken!"

"Didn't you say I was da most annoying person you'd ever met?"

"A small price to pay if it buys my freedom from the McMadds and the other Muscle Leaguers."

"I can't go back, I ain't got no place to stay."

"Stay with Kiki."

"She lives wid her mom and dad. But hey, I guess you got a spare room at da "Mask Family Estate", right?"

Kevin stopped his chicken dance abruptly, turning to face Mars. His jaw had dropped in shock, and even though his mask hid his horrified expression, Kevin could tell that Mars knew exactly what he felt right then.

"If you could guarantee dat me an' Kiki could stay wid you in London, den maybe I would like to join da IWF," Mars slyly added.

"But the Mask Family Estate is mine," Kevin weakly replied.

"Da Mask Family Estate is huge, and… Hey, dat's not such a bad idea!"

Mars turned his back on Kevin and began to walk off. Kevin hesitated, his mind racing as he tried to imagine just what Mars was scheming.

"Wait!" he cried, hurrying after Mars. "What are you talking about now?"

"Well, dat's a huge place you got," Mars casually replied. "I've seen it before. I've been inside before, and nobody ever saw me. I guess I could just stay dere anyways, especially now dat's it's just you livin' dere. You would never find me."

"Yes I would! I'd be able to smell you, wearing your filthy, unwashed pink leotard!"

"Again wid da insults… Hey, I wonder if Kiki would mind squattin' in your palace too."

"What? Oh God no, not her! She'll take pictures of me when I'm in the shower naked and she'll sell them on Ebay!"

Mars tilted his head to one side, snorting as he tried to contain his laughter.

"What?" he eventually managed.

"I'm very particular about my showering habits," Kevin quietly replied. "My biggest fear is someone taking a picture of me in the shower."

"What, dat's you biggest fear?" Mars echoed. "Seriously? More so dan fire?"

"Maybe."

"I see…"

Mars slowly nodded his head, but was still unable to wipe the smirk from his face.

"Anyways, Kiki wouldn't do a dat to ya," he added.

"Oh yes she would!" Kevin replied. "She's turned into a right saucy little mare since she started seeing you!"

"Saucy little what? Sheesh, Kevin, do you ever listen to yourself talk? And besides, why would she wanna take pictures of you when she's got dis heavenly body right here, huh?"

"Oh God, you're not honestly still using that tired old "heavenly body" line are you? Really, that is so cheap and nasty! And besides, there are plenty of reasons why your girlfriend might want to see me naked."

"Oh yeah, I forgot! And yeah, I guess she would wanna sell dat on da Internet!"

"I don't think we're talking about the same thing here. At least, that is to say, I certainly hope we're not talking about the same thing here…"

"Nick Hasler in da shower, opening bid one US dollar!"

Mars burst out laughing at his own joke, but Kevin merely sweatdropped, his shoulders slouching forwards in defeat.

"I miss da comedy," Mars confessed when he had eventually stopped laughing. "It was always good havin' a loser like you around, it made me feel real good about myself, y'know?"

"Thank you so much, Mars," Kevin sarcastically replied. "And I miss having someone who doesn't think the word nipple is funny."

Mars frowned questioningly at Kevin.

"Kid Muscle," Kevin explained. "And Jaeger. And Terry Kenyon."

"And den you got dat asshole Dik Dik Van Dik," Mars pointed out.

"And Checkmate, who is about as much fun as an actual game of chess…" Kevin grumbled.

"And Wally, who spits when he talks."

"And his stupid little sister."

"And his mother."

"And Roxanne, who is loud, stubborn and obnoxious!"

"And Trixie, who has an IQ so low she could trip on it."

"And Kiki, who is so… So… Well, you like her, but I hate her!"

"And dat little dude wid da throat problem."

"What?"

"Y'know, da little dude dat coaches Kid Muscle?"

"Oh God yes, lest we forget the magnificent Meat!"

"Den you got all dose Legends…"

"My father…"

"Da McMadds…"

"That irritating McMadd woman…"

"Yeah you're right, Kev. Da life of a Justice Chojin workin' for da IWF here on Earth is a real laugh a minute. I'd have to be crazy not to wanna join 'em."

Kevin sighed.

"So you won't come back with me then?" Kevin asked Mars. "Not even for the thrill of the challenge of changing all those crazy people?"

"I don't need any of dose crazy people, Kev," Mars plainly replied. "I walk alone."

"You're starting to sound like me…" Kevin grumbled.

"Den I guess I've stayed here too long," Mars replied with a smirk. "Maybe dat's a sign dat I should move on now."

"So there's nothing I can do to change your mind? Nothing at all?"

"I'd need a damn good reason to go back."

"How about Kiki?"

"Yeah…"

"And a place on the IWF roster?"

"Well…"

"And the West Wing of the Mask Family Estate for you and that green-haired menace?"

Kevin groaned, clenching his fists tightly in frustration. Mars's face lightened, a childish grin of glee colouring his features.

"Are you for real?" he asked quietly.

"What if I am?" Kevin asked, resisting the urge to kick himself for inviting Mars and Kiki into his home, the place he had hoped to have all to himself at last.

"Den I would definitely, definitely consider comin' back wid you," Mars replied.

"Alright then," Kevin said in a shaky voice. "You and the girl can have the West Wing if you'll just come back with me and join the IWF, and save me from all of that lot."

"Dat sounds fair to me."

"So then you'll come back?"

Kevin looked up at Mars expectantly, a sinking feeling tugging at his stomach as he watched the smile fade from Mars's face.

"You know what I'm gonna say, don't you?" Mars said solemnly.

"I'm rather afraid I do," Kevin sighed.

"It's da way it's gotta be," Mars added.

"I understand."

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Mars makes his decision and Kevin Mask returns to the Chojin Crown Ball to relay Mars's message to the others. **Chapter 39 – The Reason**. (Final chapter – at last!)


	41. The Reason

**A/N:** Final chapter folks, this fic will now slowly wend its merry way down the list of UM fics as it fades into the past just like its predecessors. I nearly shot myself about five times when writing this chapter, especially the bits about Mars's feelings; as you read on, you will all see why…

The song _The Reason_ belongs to Hoobastank, and was the inspiration for this fic, hence the title.

**Recap:** Kevin tried his best to convince Mars to return with him to the IWF as a Muscle Leaguer, but Mars was not keen to turn into a "babyface" like Kevin and the others.

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**Chapter 39 – The Reason**

Kevin Mask turned his motorbike into the parking lot of the dance hall, feeling more than a little apprehensive about returning after the welcome he had received the first time around. He could only hope that the news he brought with him would act as a nice diversion, and draw the attention of the McMadds, the Muscle Leaguers and the girls away from himself.

Kevin had never enjoyed being at the centre of attention under any circumstances, but least of all in a party situation. He liked to just be alone, riding his motorbike to anywhere or nowhere. Alone with his thoughts, he could truly be at peace.

Although, Kevin had to admit that his journey back to the dance hall had turned more than few heads. It was no doubt a shocking sight for anyone, especially so late at night, to see the new Chojin Crown Champion riding a motorbike in a tuxedo and with a most unexpected passenger.

As Kevin turned the key in the ignition to silence the motorbike, he felt a thud behind him as Mars sat back down.

"Was it really necessary for you to stand all the way here?" Kevin asked him.

"You said it was gonna be just like da old times in da DMP," Mars reminded him, clapping a hand onto his shoulder. "So let's start as we mean to go on, yeah?"

"Certainly," Kevin agreed.

Together, Kevin Mask and Mars leapt off the motorbike and started towards the doors of the dance hall, walking side-by-side at Mars's typical, leisurely pace.

"You know it's strange," Kevin began.

"When I joined da DMP, I never thought it would just lead me right back to da Muscle League, da place my father always wanted me to go in da first place," Mars finished.

"Exactly," Kevin agreed.

"And it's kinda weird," Mars added.

"I am a changed man since my days in the DMP, but I don't know if I'm quite ready to confront anyone inside that hall just yet," Kevin said.

"Exactly," Mars agreed.

Kevin and Mars paused by the doors, turning to each other apprehensively.

"You go on ahead, I just need a minute," Mars said, indicating for Kevin to take the lead.

Kevin hesitated, not particularly wishing to walk into the hall on his own again, lest he be subjected to the inevitable barrage of insults from those within.

"Alright, but don't be too long," he eventually said, reaching out a hand to the doors. "And don't even think about changing your mind."

"And miss all da comedy? What are you nuts?" Mars laughed.

Kevin nodded his head, before disappearing through the doors, leaving Mars alone in the parking lot. Mars sighed, looking up at the sky above him, glancing between the various constellations, momentarily musing over which ones looked the same from Wrestle Planet, home of the Hercules Factory. Mars had spent so much of his free time between training sessions there looking up at the stars, mulling over his thoughts and plans for the future; and latterly his plans for the Chojin Crown Tournament itself. All the apprehension and excitement he had felt at the prospect of returning to Earth as a bona fide Muscle Leaguer, fighting for the side of good, washed over him as he perused the constellations again.

"How am I gonna do dis?" he muttered to himself, lowering his eyes to the door once more.

_I'm not a perfect person  
There's many things I wish I didn't do_

Mars took a deep breath, drawing himself up to his full height.

"It's now or never," he told himself.

Mars opened one door and slipped inside, pausing in the shadows of the entrance hall to study what lay ahead of him, within the main dance hall beyond. Kid Muscle, Terry Kenyon and Jaeger were giggling over a half-empty punch bowl, Dik Dik Van Dik, Checkmate and Wally Tusket were having a drinking competition at the bar, Ikeman and Jacqueline McMadd were arguing about something whilst their father tried his best to referee the dispute, Robin Mask, Terryman, Buffaloman and Ramenman were sitting around a table in the back corner of the hall in deep conversation, Kevin Mask was loitering around the spread of sandwiches, pretending to be extremely interested with the selection of tuna sandwiches.

And Roxanne and Trixie were sitting at a table on the right-hand side of the room, huddled close to Kiki, who looked as though she had been crying; a pang of guilt stung at Mars's chest.

_But I continue learning  
I never meant to do those things to you_

As Mars watched the girls, he began to wonder if going back to join the Earth division of the IWF was such a good idea after all. All the horrid, negative emotions he had endured three years ago at the end of the Generation Ex Tournament, all the self-doubt he had felt, all suddenly came rushing back to him; was he really worthy of someone like Kiki? It was a question Mars had never thought he would ever ask himself about anyone, but Kiki was different. She was so good and so right, and he was so bad and so wrong. If he could not even forgive himself for so many of the things he had done in the past, how could he honestly expect her to?

But, Mars thought to himself, of all the bad things he had done and regretted, the worst one had to have been running away from the hospital on Dik Dik's word alone. He should have stayed to hear Kiki's side of the story, or at least left her a note. But instead he ran away, and made no attempt to contact her for over three years.

_I'm sorry that I hurt you  
It's something I must live with everyday_

Mars took another small step forwards, edging out of the shadows for a better view of Kiki and the girls. If she were to see him, he would not have the option of leaving again; he could not put her through all that emotional turmoil all over again. In his mind, Mars was still in doubt; but his heart wanted to stay more than anything. But not only did Mars have his own reserves about staying, he also worried about Kiki's feelings. He had run away again, only leaving her the most miserable of notes, he had hurt her feelings all over again, and maybe now she had decided that she hated him. Maybe she would not want him back. What would he do then?

_And all the pain I put you through  
I wish that I could take it all away  
And be the one who catches all your tears_

Mars knew that he had changed; he was not the same person that he had been in his days with the DMP, and he was not even the same person he had been during the Generation Ex Tournament. He had never thought that he could have changed, never thought that he could have been anything other than the scar-faced Devil Chojin he had always been, but in Kiki's love he had found the reason to want to change, the reason to want to be a better man.

He just wished that he could explain it all to Kiki, to let her know just how much she truly meant to him.

_I've found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be  
A reason to start over new  
And the reason is you_

Mars took another step forwards, studying Kiki carefully. She looked upset, but she was forcing a smile for the sake of her friends who were fussing around her. Mars found himself smiling too; Roxanne and Trixie had, at times, been so inconsiderate towards Kiki, and yet still she stood loyally by them. And Kiki's loyalty was just another one of her many qualities that Mars admired so much.

It seemed so bittersweet and ironic to Mars that, although Kiki was younger, and far less worldly-wise than he himself was, Mars had still learnt so much from Kiki. The life he had always wanted, the life Doomsmane had taken from him many years ago when he had first joined the DMP, suddenly seemed to be within his grasp once more; and all because of her.

_I've found a reason to show  
A side of me you didn't know  
A reason for all that I do  
And the reason is you_

Mars straightened his back, and walked right up to the table Kiki and the girls were sat at, stopping directly opposite Kiki. Trixie was the first to spot his presence, doing a dramatic double-take as she recognised just who he was. Trixie, with her eyes still locked on Mars, reached a hand across the table and grabbed Roxanne's wrist, shaking it violently.

"What, Trixie?" Roxanne snapped, turning to look at her.

Trixie pointed at Mars, and Roxanne turned around to see what it was that had alarmed her friend so, gasping in shock as she too caught sight of Mars.

But Mars ignored both girls, his attention remaining solely fixed onto Kiki, who was still hanging her head and was yet to notice his arrival. Roxanne and Trixie both simultaneously slid their chairs back from the table and stood up, slinking away to leave Mars and Kiki alone. Kiki frowned, glancing from side to side as she realised that her friends had just abandoned her.

"Hey, guys!" she said, lifting her chin. "Where are you…"

Kiki's voice trailed off as she caught sight of Mars standing in front of her. At first, she simply stared up at him, her face blank and devoid of any emotion. Then, very slowly, she placed her hands on the table in front of herself and pushed herself up into a standing position, never moving her eyes from Mars's face as she did so.

"I came back, sweetheart," Mars explained. "And dis time it's for good, I promise. I'm gonna join da Muscle League here on Earth, and I'm gonna work for da IWF."

"Flhuwha?" Kiki echoed, her mouth failing to close after she finished uttering her indecipherable question.

"I'm gonna join da Muscle League here on Earth, sweetheart," Mars repeated. "I'm gonna help Kevin Mask and Kid Muscle and all dose other IWF jerks fight da DMP!"

Mars opened out his arms, smiling optimistically. Kiki awkwardly clambered up onto the table, staggering across it towards him.

"Hey sweetheart," Mars began, frowning up at her in concern as she stumbled towards him. "Are you oka-whoa!"

Mars quickly grabbed his arms around Kiki as she leapt off the table and grabbed onto him. He staggered back, smiling at her as she clung to him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and her legs locked around his waist.

"I ain't gonna leave you again, sweetheart, I promise," he whispered.

"Damn right you're not," Kiki whispered. "I'm gonna get a collar for you and keep you on a leash…"

Mars smirked to himself at the mere idea of Kiki's threat, amusing himself further with the notion that Kiki had probably meant the remark to be completely innocent; and not at all sexually suggestive, as it had sounded to Mars's ears.

"Oh, this is so cool!" Trixie squealed, jumping up and down. "This has been like totally the best summer ever! I got Kid and Roxanne back together, I got Mars and Kiki back together, I got Dik Dik and Sally back together, I got Terry…"

"You so totally didn't get Dik Dik and Sally back together!" Roxanne scoffed. "Or Kiki and Mars!"

"Yeah, it was Kevin Mask that brought Mars back!" Kid pointed out, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at Kevin, who was standing alone a short distance behind them.

Roxanne and Trixie turned to look at Kevin, before turning back to face each other.

"Who the heck cares about Kevin Mask?" Trixie asked, shrugging her shoulders.

"Not me, that's for sure!" Roxanne laughed. "He's turned into such a complete asshole!"

"He just doesn't like being around people," Kid said.

"He just doesn't like people, plain and simple!" Terry muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Which is cool, cause nobody likes him, right?" Trixie said to the others.

The others nodded their agreement, before all four set off to join Kiki and Mars as Kiki finally released Mars to stand on her own feet. Kevin watched as Kid Muscle, Terry Kenyon, Roxanne, Trixie and Kiki fussed around Mars, welcoming him into the Muscle League. The girls all hugged him and the men all shook his hand. Before long, Checkmate and Wally Tusket joined the group, each shaking Mars's hand to welcome him into their ranks. Vance McMadd joined them to shake Mars's hand and welcome him onboard, and so did Ikeman. Jacqueline stopped in front of Mars, eying him over cautiously. Mars extended a hand towards her, and she smiled, shaking his hand. Even Dik Dik Van Dik, who had always famously hated Mars, joined the group to shake Mars's hand and welcome him back.

Kevin smiled to himself as Jaeger threw himself at Mars, almost winding his old friend as he grabbed him into a bear-hug. Mars forced a tight smile, patting Jaeger on the head before pulling Jaeger's arms off of himself and pushing his former classmate back to a respectable distance. Kevin's smile began to fade as a group of the Legend Justice Chojins came to welcome Mars to the IWF. Kevin suddenly felt very cold as he watched Buffaloman shake Mars's hand and pat him on the back; and as Robin Mask shook Mars's hand and told him how glad he was that Mars had joined the side of good.

Kevin tightened his hold of the glass in his hand, only vaguely aware of the squeaks of protest it made as he compacted it to breaking point. The glass shattered in Kevin's grip, and his fingers closed into a fist. The warm and stinging sensations of the glass shards biting into his skin and drawing blood drew Kevin's attention away from the group for long enough to note that he had hurt his hand. Kevin opened out his palm, lifting it up in front of his face to watch as small lines of blood slid between the creases of his skin.

Kevin's eyes shifted to one side of his hand, watching the joyful group, all of who were preoccupied with Mars. Looking back at his hand again, Kevin began to suspect that some of the lacerations he had suffered were quite severe; but what did it matter, he thought to himself?

Kevin closed his fist around the damage, lowering his hand to his side. His pain, both internal and external, meant nothing; after all, who did care about Kevin Mask?

**The End**

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Yes, I went with the Disney ending this time. And this time I also made it quite clear that there will be a sequel.

But alas, the never-ending story has finally come to an end! At last, I finished writing and posting a story I had planned out from start to finish many months ago! At this point, any sensible person would take a little holiday. I am many things, but a sensible person I ain't!

There will be a four-part sequel to this fic, under the name of _Kinniku Roxanne_. I think the title is rather self-explanatory, but nevertheless, I have included the synopsis below. Although it is only a four-chapter fic, _Kinniku Roxanne_ will be almost as long as _Bad Boys_ in terms of number of words, as each chapter tells a mini story, making them very long (even by my standards!) – but this one probably won't start appearing for another couple of weeks yet.

_Kinniku Roxanne_: Kid Muscle and Roxanne are finally getting married, but not everything goes according to plan. From the two parties the night before the wedding, through the ceremony and to the evening's celebrations, Kid and Roxanne's wedding is full of surprises: for more than just the bride and groom!

Now please, I have given months of my life and 188,281 words of my creativity, so please, for the love of God, REVIEW!


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